This is what met him on the other line, Glen his father called quite late at night on Friday.

   Its your Grandmother, she has fallen again....

   From the look on Jims face i knew it was not good news so i ushered the children who were getting ready for bed out of the room and helped them get tucked in with assurences that daddy would be there to tuck them in shortly, meanwhile my skin has grown clammy and my heart was beating hard. My husbands grey shocked face was not one I will ever forget.

   This Sunday was to be a day of celebration, Jims Grandmother has been looking forward to celebrating her 80th birthday for more that 5 years, it was her way to get her family together who has been feuding since I married into the volitile family 10 years before. We were to go and have dinner in a nice resturant of her choice then we were going to finish off at her house with her favorite, ice cream cake.

  But a visit to her friends house Friday ended all that...

A woman full of vitality up to about 4 years ago who loved to travel and visit with her bridge buddies had to sell her car and in sort her freedom for a motorized scooter. It started with a nasty fall that left her on the floor for 3 days unable to move and too week to call for help and went down hill from there often stumbling and falling into a pile on the floor her quality of life has been on a slippery slope for a very long time, living in extreame pain and on the morphine patch her reality has been taking a beating, long burried memories of carring for little Jimmy has made her believe that caring for our children is just what she needs to get her youth back, and it has been with heavy hearts that we have had to tell her that no we are sorry but.. the girls are just not going to be able to do that.

   Racheal (grandmother) Has two children, one son (my father in law) and a Daughter who is a childless University graduate who knows every thing about everything. Two people could not be more different from each other. But we were all going to brush this aside even for one night to celebrate with the Matriarch of the family.

  Racheal made a trip into the "powder room" when she lost her balance and tried to catch herself with the shower doors that she diddnt notice were open. So this proud proper English woman fell into the bath tub of her friends home, and very quickly ended any hopes of her family comming together for a celebration on Sunday.

   Although I dont know the whole details she is at home resting and i am sure hiding.  I do hope she will be ok and it was only her pride that was hurt mostly and we will be able to try dinner again next Sunday as now her whole family is now more than ever willing to come together to celebrate with her.

   Is this what it takes for some families to get together? a wake up call? a dissapointed woman with swollen hands? the thoughts of our dignafied grandmother just off the biffy dumped into the bath tub of friends?

  My husband sat for a long time with the phone in his lap after talking to his father and he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said it was his fault she had fallen..... He really didnt want to go to dinner with his aunt and her husband and he felt that maybe he wished so hard for it not to happen that perhaps he willed something to happen. I know there is no way he could have wished this on any one, especially his beloved grandmother . But I understand his guilt and i am proud of the renewed vigor he has to be with his grandmother on her special day, was this the only way? God does have some strange ways about him......