Reading: Disappearing Moon Cafe by Sky Lee. The Amy Tan story in the anthology I just read reminded me how much I like books by her and by Maxine Hong Kingston. Poking around Amazon, I found a reference to this novel written by a Canadian of Chinese ancestry. It sounded interesting, so I picked it up at the university library.

Feeling: Sick. It looks like I'm not going to escape the boys' colds. The little tickle and cough I had yesterday has developed into a true sore throat. I had trouble swallowing when I woke up this morning. It was inevitable, I suppose, given the twins' fondness for dispensing sloppy, wet kisses. Well, if I have to catch a cold, that is the best way.

Too Far Away

Last night Mom called to tell me her gall bladder surgery, originally scheduled for later in the month, was moved up to today. She also told me that the surgeon had found a mass on her thyroid during her pre-surgery exam. When advised of the discovery, Mom's primary care physician recommended that the surgeon perform a needle biopsy of the mass while Mom is under anesthesia for the gall bladder surgery.

"They think it's probably a cyst," Mom told me, but that didn't stop my mind from leaping immediately to the worst-case scenario, though I tried not to show it during the phone call.

As soon as I hung up, however, I told Tab the news. He reached for my hand, knowing how worried I get. "Everything is going to be fine," he reassured me. "The doctor is probably right."

His comforting words helped, as did the kind notes I received from members of my notify list when I wrote them about my concerns and asked for their prayers and good wishes for Mom. Still, I spent most of today feeling like I was holding back tears. The worst part of this is being so far away and feeling helpless. It's times like these when I especially regret living five hundred miles away from my mother and sisters.

After waiting on tenterhooks all day, I finally made contact with the folks in Maine. Mom's operation went well. She was able to have the laparoscopic surgery instead of the traditional surgery with the large incision, so her recovery should be speedy. The surgeon told Jake that the mass appeared to be filled with fluid, a good sign since that would indicate a cyst. The biopsy results won't be available for a couple of days, however.

So now I can relax. I think I take after Nana, who always used to fret about her family. I guess now that she's not here someone has to do it.

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