Today was a celebratory day. It was the first in a week wherein my mother didn't vomit. Cheap thrills, I guess...but I was so thrilled that I wasn't concerned with the price tag. I walked in the door and found her folding laundry. Knowing she wouldn't want me offering to do it for her, I dusted and polished the furniture instead. Teamwork, not charity...they call it politics.

My Aunt Rose surprised us with containers of homemade soup...my mother, father, and I sighed over steamy bowls of it. We watched old Bonanza reruns on TV Land. Mom and I talked. My dad laughed at the old show, unaware of our goings-on. It was pretty much a normal turn of events. The house smelled crisply of citrus disinfectants and Pledge. Candles were illuminated, and the dryer purred. It was peaceful and serene...and the place felt contentedly, blissfully, incandescently alive.

It sounds rather staid, all of it. I think I could handle a bit of "staid" for awhile. I could handle the guidelines holding firm for a block of time. I think I could even handle a bit of boring. "Boring" felt pretty damn good today.

Meanwhile, I am gathering her smiles and her laughter...and I am carving them into the cornerstones at my foundation to have them always.