It has been an eventful few days for your humble blogger.
Last weekend, my wife and I, at the last moment, decided to visit my elderly mother that lives about two hours a way. My mother had not been feeling well and spent most of the day on Saturday resting in her bed. My wife or I would check on her every hour or so.
At about 3:00 pm on Saturday, we heard someone yell, "Hello". My wife and I thought someone was at the front door. We figured out it was my mother. I found her on the bathroom floor with blood on her head. She was very confused. After I was pretty sure that she did not break anything in the fall, I carried her to her bed and called 911. Paramedics arrived within a few minutes and determined that she would need to go to the emergency room (against her wishes).
The first instance of being at the right place at the right time: Had my wife and I not felt the need to sneak in a visit, my mother could have been on her bathroom floor for days.
At the same time that the paramedics arrived at the house, two men arrived to install high-speed internet at my mom's house. On the evening before, she agreed to give high-speed internet a try (after many years of urging from family members). So, we took advantage of the opening and scheduled installation the next day. Somehow, amidst all of the commotion, high-speed internet was installed.
The second instance of being in the right place at the right time: Having high-speed internet at the house makes it possible for me and my siblings to work from my mother's house. It allowed me to stay at her home for several extra days.
On Tuesday, my mother moved to a hospice residence. There is a possibility that she can return home if she continues to show improvement. When my mother moved into the hospice residence, there where three openings. On Thursday, there were no openings.
The third instance of being in the right place at the right time: Needing hospice care at a time when it was available. Had my mother's recovery required a couple more days of hospital care, the hospice option would not have been available.
My mother is not out of the woods in terms of her health. She is elderly. She has lung cancer. She has a major urinary tract infection. She has pneumonia. However, her health is improving.
Even if she passes away in the near future, she will have had the opportunity to spend her final days in peace and comfort. She is and will be at the right place at the right time.
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