Late Night

I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. We were in the emergency room until almost midnight but they released my mom to go home. She has a really bad infection and a kidney stone. She's real excited about all the fun she'll have with that but we're trying not to talk about it just now until she gets over last night.
It's very hard to watch a loved one suffer. My mom was as strong as a horse until about five years ago when she had another really bad infection which landed her in the hospital for the first time since Nixon was president. Once there we learned that all her arteries were clogged. They fixed that with bypass surgery but before she left the hospital a pacemaker had to be installed. The next year she broke a hip...months of hospital food and rehab. Some time later she fell and broke the other hip and finally a stroke from the blood thinner she had to take to wart off blood clots which are common with pacemakers. It's been a rough several years for mom and all of us, especially my sister who is caring for her.
Through most of this my mom took it all in stride. I know she must have wondered why the Good Lord put so much on her plate, but she didn't spend a lot of time complaining. The stroke seemed to be the hardest because it took away her fight. She just looks tired most of the time and I have to wonder deep inside if she is not ready for it all to be over. If I were to put myself in her shoes, I can't say that I wouldn't feel the same way.
But I hope I'm wrong and I hope she can reach down deep and find the strength to carry on. There are so many in her debt. Her kindness to friends, neighbors, and strangers is legendary.
So I'll ask you again to keep my mom in your thoughts and prayers.