Another month goes by, and I have yet to write a post. Life has been a whirlwind, and I am exhausted beyond the pale. My mom made it to her new apartment, but her lack of excitement took me by surprise. Two weeks of finding solutions to make her comfortable and happy whizzed by. I hired a professional organizer to help her sort and remove some items in her new place. It's the best money ever spent. The lady came and worked well with my mom in going through sixty years of married life's stuff and getting rid of the fluff. The kitchen was finally functional after the first time the lady left. Next on the organizing agenda was sixty years of clothes. My mom takes outstanding care of her things, so many of her clothes were from the 1970s. It was time to let go of a few of those pieces and give them another home. When I was finally able to have peace leaving her alone, I received the gift of twenty hours back at my own home, in my bed, on my computer. On the twenty-first hour of freedom, I received the call that my Mother decided to have a stroke. Luckily for her, she had a stroke while the physical therapist was there. He called 911, and the ambulance was there in a few minutes. I got dressed and rushed up to the Hospital and found myself back in the ER, asking where my mom was.  I walked into her ER room number one and saw my mom's worst nightmare. She could not talk or move her arms. I took a deep breath and stepped the rest of the way into the ER room. My Mother looked at me and, in a clear voice, yelled at me about her spending too much money on herself for her safety. I laughed out loud. I knew things would be okay if I were fast enough. I told Mom I had canceled the shower, and she calmed down as soon as I did. I then got her to move her hands and start saying the alphabet. I noticed she was slurring her words and could not say all of the alphabet. Mom hates people who mumble and do not talk clearly. She started working hard to make sure her speech was clear. I also had her pick a tissue from the box with her thumb and index finger. Mom cheated and used her middle and ring finger when she couldn't—it made me laugh again. I told her to try again. Until I had to leave for the night, I kept her moving her fingers and saying the alphabet. I knew she would never be happy if she could not talk clearly or use her hands. The nurses were amazed at her recovery in so short a time. I wasn't. Not having clear speech and *looking old* are Mom's worst fears. ---  ---  ---  --- The following day, I went to visit Mom. She was doing okay. She was having problems finding the words she wanted to say, though. When she could not find the words, she would get distraught. I left her when they came in to see her. That early evening, I called to see how she was doing. The nurses said she had stopped progressing or getting better. This was not what I wanted to hear.  Music has healing powers. My Mother is a singer. She has a beautiful voice that, even with age, has never wavered. I went online and found the words to three of her favorite songs and printed them out. Just as I was getting everything together to run up to the Hospital, Mom's old singing friend from 1970 called me to find out how she was. He lives near to my house. I asked him if he could do me a favor. I asked if he could stop at my house to pick up the music sheets, visit Mom, and try and get her to sing the words on the papers. He told me he would be right over. If the rumors are correct, and I think they are, Mom's friend spent over four hours reviewing the song words and talking with her. Sometimes, friends can get people to try harder than family can. The trick is to ensure the right person is doing the job they are best suited for.  The following day, I called Mom to see how she was doing. Mom could now speak complete sentences and not lose words from her brain to her mouth. I could not ask God for more than that. ---  ---  ---  --- Mom spent another four days in the Hospital. Monday early evening, she finally was told she could go home and didn't have to go to a Rehab Center if I was going to be living with her for a while. It is now Saturday, and I came home to rest and nap in bed. The week was filled with Doctor visits and long talks about the future—November's calendar dates are almost filled up, too. I am going to be very honest and say I have burned the candle, and there is nothing left inside me. The word exhausted doesn't even come close to how I am feeling in my body and soul, but life goes on, and we do what we need to to survive. If not for my friends checking up on me and making me laugh, I do not know where I would be now. You all know who you are, and I thank you ALL from my soul. I owe you all big time!!  And now it's finally time to keep my promise to @Brisby and take a much overdue nap in my bed before I need to go back to Mom for the night. If I do not answer your comments right away, it's because I do not have keychain set up at Mom's apartment, but I know I will be reading them and commenting when I can. NEVER, EVER give up HOPE! ---