our thanks to the lovely ladies of NALC

When it's Friday, most people leaving work are thinking about either going home or going out to celebrate the start of the weekend. But four of Mom's coworkers from NALC decided to put off their own weekend plans for a short while, and to pay Mom a happy little visit. They took the subway from the heart of DC down to Huntington Station, which is about 15 minutes by car from our house. There, they met my father, who drove them home in the minivan.

I felt a little guilty that the ladies stepped into our house while I was making a rather pungent Korean soup, but no one complained. Instead, they concentrated on Mom, showering her with love and hugs and kisses.

Mom was returned to her "throne," the corner of the living room couch where she normally sits surrounded by pillows and her TV tray. Modest drinks were served, and conversation ranged all over: the ladies complimented the renovation (all credit to Mom for the design and color coordination), talked about their own lives at home and at work, discussed TV shows (including the HGTV channel), and touched on other matters. Still thinking about the soup's odor, I quietly switched to making an enormous amount of fruit salad, chopping fruit, cooking up a wine/sugar sauce, and hoping that the fragrance might somehow cover up the soup's special tang.

The ladies gave Mom more than their companionship this evening: they also brought an enormous gift basket and a card that had been signed by many NALC members. I looked inside the card and saw many touching messages for Mom; my thanks go out to all the good folks who, in signing the card, contributed time, effort, and heart to making Mom feel cared for. Thanks as well to Lorna Dunn, Laura Whitfield, Seetha Subramanian, and Linda Stewart for making such a kind effort to drop by, to talk with Mom, and to laugh with us. It truly was the sort of medicine Mom needed.


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