Left Speechless

Sometimes I am left speechless... almost. When I feel at a loss for words, sometimes I am able to write instead. Here I am trying it out.

My oldest son called from Minnesota this evening. We made small talk for a minute and then he asked to talk to his grandma. He said he realized he hadn't talked to her since the wedding, and thought it would be a good idea to call her. I turned the phone to speaker (so she can hear) and told her it was Jimmy.

"Jimmy..." she repeated as though she was confused.

Jim said hello on the other end while his grandma continued to search her memory banks for who was on the other end of the phone. "It's your grandson, " he said.

"My grandson... " she answered, still unsure. "Who are your parents?" she asked him.

My heart sank, but the voice on the other end of the line remained steady. I wondered what he was thinking as he struggled to hold a conversation with the woman he shared a home with from the time he graduated from college in 2004 until he moved to Minnesota five and half years ago. She finally got it, and then went to extremes to let him know she understood who he was and how much she loves him. And then, she rather abruptly ended the conversation by saying she didn't want to run up his phone bill. He said it was okay, but she was intent on saying goodbye, told him it was nice talking, and ended the call.

I am left reeling once again.

On a bright note, my Aunt Margie came to visit today. Mom, so far, always knows who she is and is always glad for the visit.

PS. Don't miss my original post for today. It's about my grandchildren who came to visit for a few hours.