A New Kind of Home

Lots has happened since the last time I posted, and seeing as that was almost a month ago, lots should have happened.

I took my ACT, and it was not nearly as bad as I expected. Did I score #pancakeorbust (inside-ish joke)? I sure hope I did. The worst section, by far, was the science section. Graphs are easy to read, but as the numbers got higher, the graphs became more complex and took more time to figure out. I did, however, finish the dreaded 60-in-60 math section and the reading and writing sections. Now all I can do is wait for my scores and hope I did as well as I feel.

We moved Mema into an assisted living center. My Mema is the reason that Notre Dame means so much to me and my biggest hope is that she can see me get accepted into the University. When she moved from the house my Dad grew up in to her duplex where she's been for 8 years, everyone had a hard time saying goodbye to that house. But moving her out of her duplex into an old-folks home was even harder; I could tell by the look her eyes and disparity written on her face that she would never feel at home in her new home. When we went to visit her, I couldn't even talk because I was afraid my voice would crack under the emotion. My eyes were on the verge of tears. My head was turned down with the bill of my baseball cap hiding them. I had a knot in my stomach like I've never felt before. As we slowly walked down the hallways of the place as she showed us around, I thought to myself, "This is the last place she'll live." Her last walls will be an awful shade of taupe. Her last carpet will be green and maroon. I also knew that when she said goodbye to her home, I was saying goodbye to all those Thanksgivings, Christmases, and Birthday celebrations. All those Notre Dame games where we saw touchdowns and tackles; where I witnessed her tears during the "Alma Mater" after the game. It broke my heart to say goodbye to such fond memories that shaped me so. Since they've been evicted from their physical home, they'll have to take shelter in my mind and in my heart. I love you, Mema. Please stay strong for us.

To her, I send the Irish blessing:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.