The roller coaster of emotions continues to thrill with unexpected twists and turns as each new day dawns. It’s quite a ride in the cosmic, puzzling theme park of “Bonham Word”. We seem to be getting on the same ride each day but with a totally different outcome as the ride come to a close. The consistency of each day looks like this: I wake with anticipation before take-off, assuring myself that everything is going to be just fine. All I need to do is take a deep breath, grip the handles and hold on! Starting off slow, because it’s not Disney’s Rockin’ Roller Coaster, I steadily ease my mind for the ride knowing there are going to be some rough turns, hills, fast-paced-feel-like-you-are-out-of-control-moments, but overall, I know it will end. Next, comes the forward acceleration as I remind myself, “here we go, we’re doing this. No turning back. We got it. It will all be over soon. I’ll just find moments of joy throughout the ride!” But then, we go down a hill from which I just can’t recover. I want to get off the ride, but it just keeps moving.

My dad informed us last week that he has put in mom’s two week notice at the facility here in Georgia and is taking her back to South Carolina on December 16th. He will take care of her with the help of a caregiver in their home. I don’t think this is a wise move, but it’s not my move to make. I want to change the course of the ride, but I don’t control the path that is already laid out before us. So, I grip the handlebars a little tighter and embrace for the next slope on the tracks.