One of the great blessings of this site and the chat is the collective support I receive. Because I am so close to the situation, I don’t always see the solutions or alert signs with my mom. I try every day to check into chat because it keeps me connected. I love being able to talk with people, give back and receive. The other wonderful blessing is I know people in chat will ask me how mom is doing. Recently, I was sharing some of my concerns about Mom withdrawing and missing life. She and I have talked about where she is at this age in stage in life and what would she do if anything were possible. She said she’d always wanted to see the Vatican and the Sistene Chapel, but knew a trip to Europe was not realistic. Incidentally, her granddaughter just returned from a trip to Italy and Mom had this location on her mind and was sad she couldn’t share in the journey with her granddaughter.

Mom and I have been best friends forever and we have traveled to many places throughout our adult lives. We have had lots of laughter about our trips and great, great memories. So, it was sad for me to also think about the not-possibles. And, I got stuck in seeing the limitations for Mom. Then, one night in chat, I was asked how Mom was doing and I shared my concerns and sadness. BAM! The ideas and support and possibilities that made the limitations of getting in a plane and flying for 12 hours were fast flowing. My dear chat friends reminded me about the possibilities through technology and suggested a virtual tour of the places Mom wanted to go. Amazingly, the limitations of my mom’s disease and travel were suddenly irrelevant.

This morning, Mom and I “traveled” by first class on our sofa, complete with a treat, coffee, a nearby bathroom, and headphones that helped her to hear. Yes, mom went to the Sistene Chapel courtesy of YouTube. She loved every moment of it. I could see that same wonder in her eyes when she listened to a historical documentary and the joy in seeing the beautiful art. Her foot was just a tapping with happiness.

So, thank you to my dear friends who helped me to see the possibilities when all I could see were the not-possibles. Even though this journey is not easy, it is beautiful in its own special way and I am so ever grateful for the first class trip I took today with my mom.