My sweetheart brought some dinner to my room. New England clam chowder. Mmmm. And buttered toast. Ahhh. “Would it be okay if we invited your mom to come up and join us for dinner?” she asked. I guilty answered that I had just been about to suggest the very same thing—which in fact was true. The three of us enjoyed our soup and toast together. I have learned how impossible it is to eat lying on one’s back without spilling, especially anything liquid, no matter the precautions. A roll of paper towels next to my chair helps with my challenged eating. Feeling magnanimous, I suggested a few rounds of Go Fish. I think it’s Mom’s favorite game, partly because she can remember from day to day how to play it, and partly because she frequently wins. We played several rounds, and, true to form, she won most of them. My sweetheart looked at me fondly, and I recognized both a thank you and a good job for having invited Mom, for a few moments, into my convalescence.

(Photo from Amazon.com used under the fair use doctrine.)