Losing Our Parents, Losing Ourselves - Travel Heals the Heart

[Voyages Groupe Ideal]

It had been a year since our last vacation. My mother’s condition had worsened ever since she began her stay in a long term healthcare facility.

My father who was home at the time of her fall said it happened quickly. She was in the shower and he heard a bang. He rushed in to find her lying on her side. She had broken her hip and that was the beginning of the end.

 

It’s scary how fast the tables turn. One day your parents are autonomous and doing their regular activities; going for walks, out for coffee to read the paper and magazines, early dinner, cocktails and a movie before bed. Then suddenly life as they know it ceases to exist.

They are inseparable and then they are separated forever.

So much time spent running from work to the hospital and then off to see the children. We felt there was nothing left of us by the end of it all. Then she was gone.

We really needed to get away and having experienced this loss and having witnessed my mother’s deterioration put things into perspective. It was time to enjoy life. So we invited my father, my brother and sister-in-law along for a Holland America Line Cruise. It was the perfect remedy.

 

Just the simplicity of napping in a lounge chair in the sun on the deck surrounded by ocean was spectacular.

We went for massages and a Holland fitness trainer helped us on our road to getting back into shape. I participated in Yoga and Pilates classes each morning.

The food was incredible and prepared by a world class chef. In addition there were several restaurants to choose from which allowed for variety each night.

My husband and brother took advantage of sports and land excursions including surf lessons and sea kayaking. In the evenings, the men smoked fine cigars and drank cognac in the lounge while my sister-in-law and I enjoyed a Broadway show and then dropped by the Bistro for some cheesecake and cappuccino.

I woke up one morning and decided to do some Zen meditation. The sweet sun shone down upon me and as I stretched out across the mat I felt all of the stress and tension leave my body. It was as if I was closing one door and opening another to the next chapter of my life.

My mother has been gone now for almost a year and yet I still find myself picking up the phone to call her. When I try a new recipe, I want to share it with her; I want her to taste whatever I have made. I want to see her smile and have her love me in the way only a mother can love her daughter. I know that although she is no longer here; I will always need her.

Our lives can change in an instant and it doesn’t just change for us, it changes for all of those who surround and love us. That is why it is so important to do the things that make us happy and feel whole.

We plan on taking another Holland America Line cruise. I can’t be bothered sitting and planning a vacation abroad day by day and trying to see everything at once. I can however easily picture myself on a cruise that stops at the destinations I want to see and experience and still allows me to sit back, relax and reflect on all that is good in this life.

I love you Mom, forever and ever.

Voyages Groupe Ideal - Ideal Travel:
We are human - We are not a search engine - We listen when you talk - We'll plan the Holland America Line Cruise of a Lifetime @ www.groupeideal.ca 

Yours in Social Media & Travel   [e-mail]