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Close to Heaven

© Mary Ellen Bradshaw

Close to Heaven

The fact that she had a pacemaker surgically implanted just two weeks before the date of departure did not faze my mother one bit. She had always wanted to visit Santorini, Greece, where my daughter lives. When the doctor asked if she really thought the trip was a good idea, the almost-ninety-year-old replied,

“ Santorini is just as close to Heaven as Vancouver.” It is I who had second thoughts, terrified of the responsibility of traveling for four months with my ailing parent. But her mind was made up.

Due to her grave heart condition the entire trip was to be taken by train and ship. So it was on March 15, 2000 at 5 am in the morning that we boarded the train for the first leg of our four-month journey. The trip would take us down the west coast of the US, across the south to Florida, by ship across the Atlantic, with stops in Puerto Rico and 19 ports in the Mediterranean. Then a short stay in Athens followed by a month in Santorini. Back to Athens, a ferry to Ancona, Italy and to France by train would be our next adventure. Then it was the Chunnel to London, St Ives, South Hampton and the Queen Elizabeth 11 to New York. A train to New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island via Montreal was next. Backtrack to Toronto then cross-country to Vancouver our home.

Our first stop was San Diego to visit cousins. We had an excellent stay. If mother hadn’t’ fallen and bruised one entire side of her body, black and blue, it would have been perfect. I didn’t mention mother has two artificial knees. Thank God for the wheelchair!

Still unfazed she would not submit to a doctor’s visit, or postpone out trip. So, we returned to Los Angeles and boarded the Sunset Express. This took us across the southern US. The scenery and service were terrific, the beds like solid rock and the food bad.

We muddled through, despite the fact that Mom had contracted a severe case of Bronchitis and I was too claustrophobic to sleep in the top bunk.

Our short stay in Orlando was restful and pleasant as we caught up on lost sleep. However, twenty minutes before our train was to depart for Fort Lauderdale and our ship, I noticed mom had a lower front tooth missing. She had left her partial plate at the hotel and was not at all concerned that she might be traveling for four months without said tooth. We had to catch the train or miss the boat! I gave thanks to the concierge of the hotel and God when the