I’m back.

Partially.

It’s going to take a little while for me to get my feet back underneath me so I ask for your patience. 

As some of you know, my mother had been terminally ill for the last few months.  I was fortunate enough to visit her last October and again recently.  These visits require a two-day drive each way of putt-putting through such extremes as the Siskiyou Mountains and traffic of Los Angeles to hundreds of miles of the most mind-numbing hours through the San Joaquin Valley.  That alone left me spent.

I was blessed to be able to be with my mom for all or part of her last four days including the final 24 hours.  As she drew her last breath, I called in my father so he could be with his wife of 59 years for the final time.  My sister and her husband and then my brother and his family arrived shortly thereafter to help watch over my mother’s body as the angels took her home.  If you knew my mother, that last trip probably took a while as she more than likely argued with the angels over which route was most direct.  My mom had the worst sense of direction but that never made her pause from being quite sure which way to go.

I need to be available to do my part in helping coordinate the busy work as best as I can from 1100 miles away plus getting my own crew back on track after a week of living on Top Ramen and Subway.  So, to those of you who have asked, no, I really can’t say I do care too much about how the Chargers choked yet again.  They break our hearts every year so why should this season be any different?  We’ll just slap a Band-Aid on the ticker and get ready for next September.  What else are we doing to do?  Root for the Vikings?  I think not.

I’ll get back to the family humor column as soon as I can.  Lord knows I have plenty of material; it’s just a question of sorting it into 750-word chunks and tossing out the profanity.

Until then, keep my family in your hearts, keep a smile on your face, keep your chocolate above water, keep your skepticism healthy and your rubbish meter on high alert. 

With much love,

Lynette