Sometimes things don't go as planned...

This past Friday morning, I left home and went to Rochester, New York to see my nephew graduate from High School that evening.

After seven hours on the road, and a quick shower at a motel, I joined my brothers, parents, my older brother's wife and her family and we rode to the Rochester Institute of Technology's Gordon Field House.

My nephew, who plans to go to St. Bonaventure University this fall, was really excited to see everyone - its been a while since everyone in his family has visited him in Rochester. He had a crowd of twenty-two relatives there to cheer loudly and lustily when he picked up his diploma.

Well, almost.


I think there were about 20,000 people in attendance at the ceremony. I felt hemmed in and claustrophobic, so I moved toward the back and midway up some grandstands to get some air. And was stuck back there alone when ceremony began.

About midway through the reading of 450 some graduate's names, my cellphone vibrated in my pocket. I looked at the display and saw "Urgent - Rochester EMT needs to talk to you". I moved out of the noise, called them, and was told, "Find your mother and bring her outside NOW. Your dad is in the ambulance at the curb." So I elbowed my way back into the crowd, found my mother, and dragged her outside to the ambulance where she hopped in, tossing me her car keys.


I didn't see my nephew get handed his diploma. I found my brothers and made hasty arrangements to get out of the parking lot before the crowd poured out of the building.


I did hear the commencement speaker - the town manager of Henrietta, tell the graduating class, "Now it's time for you to find your way in life, and let me tell you something, you are young, and you need not decide today what you want to do with your life. If you find yourself in a college you don't like, or a job that isn't making you happy... Change! Get a new college, a new major, or new job! Life is to be enjoyed, I myself, have had five different jobs before finding this one - the job of my dreams."

I think he was "right on."

But that night, as I raced across the parking lot to my parent's car - I found myself in electronic contact with my deaf brother texting me directions, while my nephew celebrated a milestone in his young life without me seeing it, to a hospital I've never seen before, traveling on dark roads in a city far from home, wondering why my dad had been carried away underneath a strobing red light and mournful siren.

I got to the ER without mishap, and learned my dad had become dizzy during the graduation ceremony and had staggered out of the building, where a campus security guard found him and led him to a standby EMT crew. My dad was profusely bleeding internally and before things were stabilized, would require 8-9 units of blood transfusions.

Late that evening, I took my mom back to the motel in hopes she would get some rest and early Saturday, we returned to the hospital to be told "we would need to wait and see" what would happen. My dad said, "You two go and visit with the others, I'll be okay here." The Doctor said to stay nearby just in case.... "Just in case, WHAT??" I asked. He's only reply was it would take some time to stabilize my dad, he had lost a lot of blood. It turned out, it was just case they needed someone to donate some blood...

So, remembering a happier day, my older brother said, go to the Pittsford's Canal, where we walked with Aunt Eleanor when she was here for my (older brother's) wedding in 1982!

I scratched my head, got the car out of the garage, "poured" my mom into it, and drove down a couple streets that I thought looked "vaguely" familiar and then the old photographic memory kicked in. Fifteen minutes and ten miles later, I pulled into the parking lot where I had last talked to my (Great) Aunt Eleanor, 35 years ago. My mom looked at me and said, "I don't know how you do that, and it freaks me out sometimes, but today that ability of yours is really a blessing."


My older brother joined us a few minutes later and we had an early lunch and took a short walk on the Erie Canal.

As we were leaving there, I remembered I had something for a wonderful blogger friend, Yaya and her son Alex, but hadn't made arrangements with her yet or found her place on a map, so my older brother put his thinking cap on and said, "I know where that street is... you two follow me, it's just a short distance away." We found the street and her lovely house, but the blue-eyed, orange-loving Yaya wasn't available.

Oh well. I hoped to be able to go back and meet her later that weekend, but things refused to work out that way. My other nephew graduates next year. Maybe next year things will go a little smoother?

It wasn't until Monday afternoon that my dad stabilized and was discharged from the hospital. I immediately drove my parents home - and then drove myself the rest of the way home last night. My dad is doing better today - but is visiting his own doctor for follow up today.

I have been alone all day today in a cool, very quiet office and just can't stop yawning... I think I'm getting too old for this kind of exciting weekend.

I hope to visit your blogs soon, if I've not done so yet.