Dad in ICU

My Dad did end up having surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York.  And wouldn't you know it but that Friday when surgery was to take place and I was to fly up, it was one of the worst snowstorms the northeast had ever had!  They were cancelling flights left and right and when I called Delta Air Lines, they said my flight hadn't been cancelled.  I told them that it hadn't yet but they were cancelling all the flights and so I asked to be rescheduled.  They did grant my request but it ended up being five days later!  I appreciate everything that they did for me in trying to rearrange my flight -- I know that was a very busy time for them and the customer service rep that was on the phone was very gracious!

It ended up being a very emotional seven days.  I got up every morning at 5am and left the house by 6am to make the 1 1/2 hour trip to Rochester to spend the good portion of the day with my Dad in ICU.  I was very fortunate that I could do my work in that room as they had wifi and a corner area that could seat 3-4 family members.  I would end up leaving around 4pm to make the 1 1/2 hour trip back to my parent's house.  When I got back there, I would have about 3 more hours work to do so I would do that and spend as much time with my Mom as I could. 

My "me" time was during the drive to and from Rochester.  It is one of the most beautiful drives by the lake off of Route 14 passing the different wineries.  What a time to reflect and admire the beauty of the region --- one that I took for granted when I lived there and didn't take the time to explore.  Sometimes you don't tend to appreciate something until you are no longer around it and/or it's gone. 

When it was time to leave and go back to Dallas, I was so torn.  I wanted to stay longer.  Here my Dad was 90 miles away from home and I didn't want him spending time by himself and not have any family members around to see him.  My brother Jimmy ended up staying for a couple of months so there was always a family member there every day.