My sister lives in Iowa. We've spent more time on the phone over the last 48 hours than in the previous four years. Our father's stroke came as a surprise as I suppose they always do. His wife has been good in letting me know what is happening. I called the hospital in New Hampshire yesterday and spoke with him. His speech and right side have been affected. He's doing better though and will most probably be moved from the hospital at Dartmouth to a rehab hospital in Concord today. Both my sister and I feel a bit out of the loop and she really wanted to see about things. She's presently a student nurse and much more capable than I in figuring out the medical implications. She got one week of leave this morning. We were on the phone and simultaneously on the Net at 6:30 this morning. We made arrangements for the plane tickets, car rental, and Western Union cash. She's leaving this afternoon. I trust that she'll be able to sort through things. She'll let me know if she thinks I should go out there immediately, or if I should wait to spend a vacation week I have coming in the middle of February.
One has so many emotions during a period such as this. I seem keenly aware of this perhaps because I generally have zero stress in my daily life.