Will You Be Our Valentine?

When the word came down that a Zoom session was being set up so that we could see my mother on Sunday afternoon, T. Tiger was so excited! He immediately suggested we do something festive for her. With it being Valentine's Day and all, he thought we should make her a Valentine.

My mom ended up in the hospital, and then rehab, during Christmas week. She tested positive for Covid and then she broke her hip. How long does it take a 90-pound, 90-year-old woman to recuperate? The answer is this: longer than you might think. And how's my dad doing? He's incredibly lonely. They have been married 70 years and it is tough for them to be apart.

I tried to call my mom on Christmas day to wish her a happy Christmas, but she was sleeping when I called, and then she was being moved. And after that, there wasn't a phone in her room. So I have not spoken to her recently.

She has difficulty hearing sometimes - issues with the hearing aids - so I was afraid that she might not hear our words during the Zoom call. So the colorful visual of a Valentine seemed like a great idea. (Multiple means, you know.) If she could not hear our love being spoken, certainly she could see our symbol of love, shining bright!

So a half-hour before the Zoom call, T. Tiger and I got on the computer and we practiced showing off our Valentine; I took pictures of us with Photo Booth. I was trying to get it so the screen would be just T. Tiger with the heart, but we got a part of me in there too.

I am very sorry to tell you that the Zoom call did not work out, so I do not have a first-hand report on my mother. The people at the nursing home knew how to do the phone chat instead, and so they did that. In the end, my family went ahead with the meeting with Mom without T. Tiger and me.

So here is a picture of T. Tiger and myself, sending all kinds of good thoughts and beams through the wires to those we love best. I didn't get to Zoom with my Valentine's mama on this day. So it turns out we have some extra love to give away: a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

Perhaps YOU will be our Valentine?

The soundtrack song is this one: Sugarland, with The One I Love.

Additional related blips:
T. Tiger bonds with my mom on Mother's Day (see extra photo)
My parents, the last time I saw them together