Going to the beach

Preparing for a trip is always hard work. Making sure you pack everything, getting your vehicle ready to go, making sure you have cash in case someone doesn't take a debit card, etc. I usually make a list, but I threw the list away this time.

For Mom's 90th birthday, my two cousins from Seattle gave her a gift certificate to stay at her favorite place on the Oregon Coast. We wanted to go after school started and finally made reservations. My cousins gave Mom enough money for us to stay four nights, a real treat for us. At least I'm hoping it's going to be a treat. Right now I'm not sure how this is going to turn out.

Things began to deteriorate yesterday when I asked Mom to pick some clothes out to pack for the beach. She asked why and I told her we were leaving in a couple of days and she needed to begin to get ready, to see if anything she wanted to take needed washing, etc. She said she didn't know we were going to the beach. I tried to remind her, but nothing I said worked. She just didn't remember and thought I was making up a big story about making reservations a month ago. I finally convinced her to get her suitcase out and we got most of her clothing packed, except for pj's and undies. At least I felt like I accomplished something.

Today, I got our cash, washed and waxed the car (that she's still convinced is new) and filled up with gas. I told Mom exactly what I was going to do and then said she should finish packing. She asked where we were going and if we were leaving right away and I said we are going to the beach and no, not until the next day. She went into her bedroom to finish packing and when I walked in to see if I could help, she had a whole other suitcase she was packing. I asked her to put the other suitcase away and that we could put everything in the one suitcase.

Then she said if it's raining she didn't really want to go. OK, this is the Pacific Northwest and we have rain here. I asked if she wanted to go at all and she said yes, and I said then we're going, period.

I love the ocean. I want this to not only be Mom's vacation, but I want a little vacation too. I haven't been to the ocean in three years and I can almost hear the surf and see the waves as I write this.

But I am such a control freak. I like to plan every single thing and God is teaching me, and being very patient I might add, that I can't possibly control everything. This is a very difficult lesson for me to learn, but I am slowly learning. God and Mom are teaching me.

And when we get to the beach, I will try very hard to go with the flow and be in the moment and enjoy every moment I have with Mom. Because this might be our last beach trip together, I never know. I hope it won't be, but it could be. My main objective is that Mom enjoys every moment at the beach and that she remembers this trip as a pleasant one. That's my goal.