THIS IS THE END!

As I sit writing this, I can’t help but remember a time many years ago on Thanksgiving Day, when Dad got sick with the flu. Mom was busy preparing the turkey for dinner and Dad would at some point after 8:00 AM come out and eat breakfast.

Mom’s turkey was on its way and she was preparing the sausage stuffing, the chopped meat and seasonings being played into her large mixing bowl while simultaneously making the stuffing for her artichokes. Things were moving along when I asked where Dad was.

Mom marched into the bedroom and there was Dad laying in bed a pillow over his head as Mom asked what was wrong. “I’m sick!” After dad’s sister came over to see him she told Mom to call the doctor, the doctor told Mom he had the flu and for the rest of his life, he was remembered for his calling his kids to his bedside to say goodbye to us as he thought for sure he was dying before our calling the doctor.

When Dad got sick, Vicks vapor rub and aspirins were what he used for his recovery. Coffee was administered in large doses and it was best to not be near him until you reached the age of accepting cursing and swearing. It took forever for Dad to overcome his symptoms and poor Mom had to deal with this.

Dad, when he was feeling good.

“You men are all babies, a little cold and you think you are going to dye. TRY HAVING A BABY!”

Mom never studied at the diplomatic school of love and marriage.

TRY HAVING A BABY really irritated Dad and he would eventually end his whining.

Mom, after 5 babies!

Mom on the other hand was a real trooper, when she got sick, which was more frequently than Dad, she never laid down, never stopped cleaning and most importantly, never STOPPED COOKING! God bless her. She would amaze me with her ability to carry on. But she did do one thing, she would say to me: “You men are all babies, a little cold and you think you are going to die. TRY HAVING A BABY!”

To this day I still can’t imagine having a baby, and to the day she died I remembered not to shame myself when I got sick in front of her.

Me and Smarty Pants

So why am I telling you this? I have a cold. It is a nasty one. Worst cold I ever had. My wife hears me say that every time I have a cold. “Worst cold I ever had!”

Me: “I’m sick, I think I’m dying!”

Her: “Worst cold you ever had?”

Me: “Shut up!”