I was trying to sleep in the reclining chair adjacent to my Mom sleeping in her bed. We were in a room in St. Mary’s Hospital where she is currently being checked out for a number of issues most of which are connected with her being 89 years old.
At some point in the middle of the night, I coughed and it awoke her. She stirred and said “Steven? Are you ok?”
I replied “Its not Steve, Mom. It’s me, J. Scott.”
She responded “Well you sounded just like him.”
And after a short pause she asked “Is he ok?”
Me: “No. He’s been gone for 10 years.”
Mom: “Oh my.”
And after another short pause she asked “Are you ok?”
Me: “I think so.”
Mom: “Well thank you for being here.”
Me: “Not a problem.”
With that we both went back to sleep. (Strictly speaking, she went back to sleep while I gyrated around in the chair for awhile trying to get comfortable.)
I don’t know if my Mom was thanking me for being there in the hospital with her or for still being alive. I guess in the long run, it doesn’t really matter. She thanked me.
Tim McGraw currently has a huge hit with this classic country tune. Video makes it easy to see why it is so popular: