Going Back

Today I spent time with my mum. She's 80 years young and will probably hate me for writing this. Although I put all her birthday images on facebook recently, so its not like people don't know!
She took me to Tai Chi this morning. Its her social club and it keeps her mobile. She has been going for quite a few years. Today it felt important to go with her - to do something with her. Since I moved away to the Midlands in November, we have not had as many Saturday morning chats. It was hard for her to see me go - painful.
While I am here, she is busy cooking and making food. She likes to have a purpose and feel useful. She has planned breakfast for when I/We leave on Thursday. I becomes 'we' on Wednesday evening, when Chris arrives - in part the reason I left my home town and moved away -more about him later, when he arrives tomorrow night.
My mum sometimes texts and tells me she has seen no one. She can recite how long it's been since she did. It always amazes me how time can expand when human contact is missed for a relatively short time. When one day becomes two days and how 5 or 10 mins in an ocean of 48 hours is only a drop.
I suppose for those, like my mum, who long to be valuable and have purpose, time can be a dark chasm.