A Bittersweet Visit

Our last Wednesday night on the road was spent with John's cousin Mike and his wife Lynn and their loveable rambunctious dog Waylon. We piled into Mike's SUV (his poor wife climbed into the back so we could all have seats) and he whisked us off to the local burger joint called Alfie's. We were looking forward to having food served to us and eating indoors. We enjoyed the nice juicy burgers, some cold drinks and to top it all off Mike generously paid for our dinner.

That night John and Mike stayed up late into the night, catching up on the years since we'd last been there. I laid awake in the guest bed next to Ella, unable to sleep. I'd gotten so used to the RV bed that it felt strange to lie in a regular bed. I was almost tempted to sneak down to the RV and sleep there for the night, but I figured Ella might freak out if she woke up and found me gone so I stayed put. That was probably the worst sleep I'd gotten all week. It was very strange.

The next morning we broke the news to Mike and Lynn that we weren't going to be able to stay long since we had a long drive to Ohio that day and wanted to get there in time to relax and enjoy the next campground. We felt bad that our visit was so short, but this was how the RV trip was. Lots of places in a short amount of time, plus we knew how much driving the kids would tolerate in one day and we didn't want our last 1-2 days of driving to be a ten hour race to get back to Virginia to return the RV.

So we said our goodbyes; however there was one more stop we had to make. John's Aunt Mary lives in a nursing home nearby. Like John's mom before her she developed Alzheimers in her 60's. We hadn't seen her in several years and one of the primary reasons we drove through Glen Ellyn was so that we could see her.

We were somewhat prepared since we'd experienced John's mom's decline with the same disease several years earlier. Nothing can prepare you though for seeing someone you love in the depths of it all, particularly when the last time you saw them they were far different. It was an emotional moment to say the least, one tinged with sadness and regret. We prepared the kids for the fact that Aunt Mary probably would not recognize any of us.

We spent some time with her in the outdoor courtyard. Mike brought his dog who was a big hit with the residents and is a regular visitor. We were happy to hear that Aunt Mary still had her telltale laugh and we could tell that she was comfortable and happy in her own world. Whether she knew who we were remains unclear. Mike was able to get some good laughs out of her and she smiled and nodded at the rest of us. Her demeanor and appearance reminded us so much of John's mom which brought back a lot of old emotions. We were happy to see her and sad to leave and say goodbye, not knowing if we would have a chance to see her again.

It was a harsh reminder of the importance of keeping family close, of not letting too much time pass, of making sure those you love know that you love them, even if you can't always be with them. It meant a lot to us all that we were able to incorporate seeing her into our trip. It was a tough visit but an eye opening one. Life is short, nothing is guaranteed, family is everything. We knew it before but needed a little reminder.

We said one more goodbye to Mike and pulled the RV out of the nursing home parking lot. We were headed home, but a bit more fun was still in store for us.

Next: Cedar Point, here we come! But not without just one more mishap . . .