How are the boys?

 Lately life has been more challenging than usual for my mom.  On nights when she sleeps all night her next day tends to go better.  Like all of us we function well when we get adequate sleep.  Mom deals with  signficant handicaps and if she has several nights where she doesn't sleep well her body lets her know it.  I talk to mom every morning on the phone and I know almost immediately when she picks up the phone rather she has slept all night.  This morning I could tell she didn't sleep well.  She reported to me she had been up since 2am and on top of that she's been dealing with diarhhea which is going on several days now.  I could hear the frustration and despair in her voice this morning which caught my attention because mom is always so upbeat but this morning she had had it.  She could hardly formulate a sentence.  Finally after what felt like 5 minutes of her trying to get her words out I told mom to relax, that I would ask her yes or no questions, something that is much simpler for her to respond to.  I determined she wasn't in any pain and that she didn't need me to do anything.  She just needed someone to listen to her.  Life in general is wearing my mother down but she continues to have a positive attitude.  I prayed over the phone with her this morning which seemed to encourage her.  As we ended our conversation mom asked the very same question that she has asked me since the day her grandsons were born, "How are the boys?"  Despite having no sleep, diarhhea and completely broken speech mom still wanted to know how the boys were doing.  I literally had to bite my lip and breathe to keep from crying as I told her all about Nick and Jay and what they were up to which wasn't much different than what they were up to yesterday but knowing what they are doing is still important to mom.  Ninety percent of the time I don't let things with mom get to me.  I just focus on the positive and what needs to be done for her to move forward but it got to me this morning.  It was a good reminder to never take a day for granted and to cherish every conversation I have with her.