My mother has been hospitalized for a long while, and we’re all trying to help her as much as possible. I took the job of arranging for shifts of family members to stay with her at her bedside. I’m in touch with all my siblings and get information about additional people who can help out, and I tell them when to come. This issue became very major for me. I felt a heavy responsibility to ensure that Ima would never be alone.
The hardest time to find someone to be with her is during Yamim Tovim. These are days when people are overloaded, children need their parents at home, and the head of a household has many things to do. On the other hand, in the hospital time seems to stand still. Ima lies there having no house to clean after a two-day Yom Tov, and no endless cooking. She does not need to be on hand to help with the building of the sukkah, and she needs company. Needs it desperately.
I, as her devoted son, am preoccupied with the
