"Mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved." ~ Erich Fromm

I left at around 7:30am on Thursday, took the 408 across Orlando to the FL Turnpike north to 75 up into Georgia to 475 around Macon then back to 75 then the 675 to the bypass around Atlanta to 85 north to 985 which took me to Gainesville, GA.  509 miles and almost 8 hours later, I was at Mom's. 

 

We always go to IHOP to have breakfast for dinner the night I get there, we always get bacon and eggs and pancakes and the yummy drinks they make with Sprite and fruit juice.  I took a picture of Mom sitting at the table at IHOP waving hello, and texted it to Greg.

 

Over the next two days I took Mom to pick out new glasses, helped her clean under her microwave, had lunch with her friends at the retirement home, washed and changed her comforter/bedskirt/pillowshams, had shrimp and key lime pie at Red Lobster, had macaroni and cheese and green beans and sweet tea at a local southern food restaurant, took her to the drugstore to pick up vitamins and Altoids, and looked through several old photo albums. 

 

It was basically the exact same visit I always have, but it was nice.  It makes me uncomfortable to go too long without seeing Mom, and although I speak to her every day on the phone, it's not as good as catching up in person.

 

She seems happy enough, has several pretty good friends there in the retirement home, and she has frequent visits from our relatives who live near there (especially my brother, my sister, and my niece).  But she is almost 90, and it's harder for her to get around, and she gets tired quickly.  Our days consisted of me hanging out with her for an hour or two and then going away to let her rest for an hour or two.  It's so very nice to be in the retirement home's guest room, right upstairs from her.

Sunday morning I left early and got home late afternoon.  Greg cooked steak for dinner, and as wonderful as my visit with Mom was, it was lovely to relax in my own home.