Monday, December 29, 2008

MY PARENTS, THE TRAIN JUMPERS

Hi friends. We had a scare on Saturday night. Mom and Dad were winding their way home from sister Sue's in San Luis Obispo on the train, bound for Union Station, LA. Once dropped off by my sis, they were on their own, and that's when things turned scary. They immediately heard of a 6 hour delay of their train, but that if they caught a bus that was leaving right away they could catch another train home in Santa Barbara and be only an hour behind schedule -- so, like two noble hobos, they jumped at the chance, and jumped trains. But they're not hobos, they're parents and grandparents and friends, many times over, and connections in all these categories lost track of them on the Amtrak for a number of hours. A total of three different people at three different times showed up at Union Station to pick them up -- no folks. Checking the internet for train delays, they discovered the 6 hour delay, but alas, who was to tell them about the creative alternative my folks were taking? Certainly not my folks. Mom insists they left their cell phone at home, on the car charger. Dad swears he had it with him but that it was indeed out of juice. When they finally arrived in LA, proud of themselves that they were only an hour behind their time, alas (I keep using that word!), no ride home was anywhere to be seen in the freezing, emptying out train station. Borrowing a train worker's cell phone, they called their friend (finally, what a novel idea -- they called someone with info as to their whereabouts). When they got home and to bed before 11:3o p.m., the rest of us were stewing and brewing about what mayhem may have finally caught up with my Mom and Dad. Bottom line: "Mom and Dad, we're going to have to have a lesson in independent travel, before letting you out of our sights again!" Mom did say that they had mutually decided what we and Dad's doc have been urging them to do for a long time, no more of Dad driving out of town. But, with this fiasco on the nighttime railroad, I'm afraid they've jumped out of the frying pan and right into the fire. And we five children, and hundreds of other family and friends, are no match for Mom and Dad's skills at being blissfully and gleefully independent. Happily, we have a loving Heavenly Father who's still looking out for my earthly mother and father. I'm glad HE can keep track of them!

Do you remember the term, "Four F"? It is the term used by the draft board which says the candidate for military service is not medically fit to be an active member of the armed forces. I have a little different interpretation of the "4 F" part, but with the same conclusion, regarding my folks. As is often the case with me, putting my questions and frustrations into a poem adds perspective and helps me cope, and hope. Here's what I've come up with in that regard...

FOUR F
They used to be so agile,
Going here and there without fail;
But now they are so Fragile,
Forgetful, Feeble and Frail.

It's no picnic, growing old,
And not for the faint of heart,
This buildup of rust and mold --
Does it mean that they're falling apart?

Rust infecting each joint,
Mold infesting the brain;
O God, with your presence anoint,
And soothe Mom and Dad in their pain.

These things that I see in my folks
Are symptoms of life winding down.
Once tall and strong as two oaks,
So weak now, and running aground.

My metaphor's woefully mixed
But that, too, describes to a "T"
This problem that can't be fixed
By humans like you and me.

Regarding living a life
As they are accustomed to doing
This noble man and his wife
Have not the least little "cluing"

That they have now reached a "Four F" --
But an "Honorable discharge" it must be.
And now in the time they have left
May they still serve You, Lord, faithfully!

(PS - We entrust them to Thee).











3 comments:

  1. Not to worry Pop. We'll have you in a home long before you reach that stage.

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  2. Their coming to take me away ho ho
    Their coming to take me away hee hee

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  3. We are glad they made it home safe and sound.

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