WHY I HAVE NOT BEEN POSTING

On January 3, three days after her 90th birthday, my mother had a stroke and landed in the hospital. She suffered some damage to her body and mind but was recovering nicely when on January 11, she had a second stroke and almost did not make it. Thanks to modern medicine she survived and is now in a rehab facility.

On January 12, I flew to Ann Arbor, MI, not knowing if she would still be living when I got here. I am still here, spending many hours a day with her and living at my sister's house. It has been an intense experience and probably changed me in ways I have not realized yet. Finally this week, I can look at the future again though I am still not sure what it holds. My mom is an amazingly strong and practical woman and her total intention is to get well and go home. It is humbling to watch her deal with all that has happened.

I am grateful for modern medicine and the things that doctors and medications can do. But I have to say that even though she was in one of the best hospitals in the United States, if I and my sisters had not been on hand and vigilant, I don't know how she would have survived the experience. I am amazed that individuals without family close at hand make it out of hospitals. We have gotten very good at finding the doctors, nurses and aides who actually care and are professional at what they do. We are nosy, invasive and relentless when it comes to getting information about every aspect of her care and because of that she is doing well. It has been eye-opening in the extreme.

Along with everything else in my life, my reading has suffered. At first I could not even concentrate on more than a page and then there just wasn't time. That is going better now also and right now I am reading a most enjoyable book called What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt. It is about artists, friendship and between the lines, so much more.

I will return to posting reviews tomorrow and thank you for your patience.