What Families Do

I am camped at daughter's house this week and will be here indefinitely.  I am so very thankful that our lifestyle at present allows me this flexibility.  Memories abound of an accident I suffered over thirty years ago.  Ol' Abner called Mammy and Papa in the middle of the night requesting that they come from West Texas to Houston "NOW".  Our children were two and seven at the time and Ol' Abner (not so old then) was in an understandable panic at the thought of dealing with a major ankle fracture requiring surgery for me while caring for two young children.  It was the busy holiday season and he was totally intimidated by the hectic social, shopping, school, and work schedules.  My parents, a few years into retirement then, scrambled out of bed in the middle of the night, gathered together loose change to purchase enough gasoline to make the eight hour drive.  After that dilemma, we convinced them that cash might be the best option, but a credit card for back up might be wise in an emergency.  They were there in the hospital room when I awoke from surgery and stayed until the New Year.  It wasn't the last time they came to help us through a traumatic event, usually the result of a broken bone.  I do so miss my mother, but I am ever grateful to be able to offer some assistance to my daughter's already self-reliant family.