What a day

Friday I went to see 300 - AMAZING movie, by the by - with Tracey & then we went for a walk. Then, Saturday morning, I went to the Zoo for 8:30 because we were going to a 'trade show' at the Tradex Centre in Abbotsford for the day. The picture is of me & Hagrid, a Great Horned Owl. I also got to hold Archer, a Peregrine Falcon. My arm is still sore. It was a great, though exhausting, day. But, when I got home I checked my messages & had 5 messages, 2 from my Mom, 2 from my cousins and 1 other, and then as soon as I finished checking those I got a call from Carol P. that my Mom had a minor stroke. Wow, and wow! That was the last thing I expected to happen. I hadn't spoken to my Mom yet because she was supposed to get back Friday from her trip so I hadn't had a chance to call yet. When I got off the phone with Carol I tried calling & calling & calling my Mom. And after trying every 2-3 min. for an hour of the phone being busy I called her neighbour & asked her to go & make sure she was okay. Turns out the phone just wasn't hung up properly. Apparently, all things considered, she's okay. It wasn't severe, though she is feeling week & has the 'palsy' or 'slackness' on one side of her face so pronunciation of certain words is difficult. But, I admit that I completely freaked out. I already lost one parent & can't even bear the idea of loosing my Mom. Because of her smoking I always thought she would likely get cancer. And, of course, there's just random chance that anything could happen.But, I never anticipated this. Being the adored person she is, she is well taken care of surrounded by her friends & family who have all been incredibly helpful. And, I feel completely helpless. My first instinct was to fly home. But, on top of my lack of money to do so there's not much I could do if I were there. It's all very frustrating. I don't know too much about strokes but as long as she doesn't have another one she should recover but it's still frightening. The icing on the cake was that my landlords were having a surprise party for their son-in-law so interspersed with phone calls & my sobbing was the sounds of dancing, music, & 'happy birthday' songs. It made me feel even more horrible.
Today, however, is a bit better. My arms are only a little sore & I spoke to my Mom briefly & she's okay. So, I guess I should be hopeful.