Memorable Memorial Day

                                               Memorable Memorial Day by Ashley Rogers                                                  Family barbecues, patriotic parades, a trip to the emergency room? What began as a holiday celebrating the memory of those who gave their lives for this country to guarantee our freedom soon turned into a nightmare. The day started innocently enough. My dad and oldest sister, taking advantage of the beautiful weather on this unofficial start of summer, proceeded to plant the numerous flats of vegetables that will make up our summer garden. As is somewhat traditional in our family, my father and I had purchased far too many starter plants the previous day than our garden could possibly hold. With an overabundance of plants, we would be forced to pot the leftovers in separate planters. Those numerous "Black Beauty," "Classic," and "Little Finger" eggplants would prove to be my mom's downfall!                                                                                                                    Attempting to strategically place the eggplant plants in a sunnier location, my mom grabbed the oversized planter and proceeded to move it off of the deck. Stepping off the last step, my mom unsuspectedly encountered the hose that was placed across the lawn directly in her path. Under the weight of the giant pot and with the force of potential energy, she was propelled forward. Unable to regain her footing, she plowed directly into the solid fencepost, much like a bull going after the matador's cape.                                                                                                                                               When my mom re-entered the house, she calmly stated that she had fallen and was bleeding profusely from a cut on her head. A trail of blood on the floor matching the pool on my mom's hair, face, and shirt soon transformed my kitchen into what looked like a crime scene. It was clear that she would need to go to the hospital immediately to close her wound. I can't say I handled this emergency well. Terrified, like a child having a bad dream, I covered my head with the blanket on my living room couch, allowing my older sister to handle the situation. My oldest sister, Kristine, screamed for my middle sister, Jessie, who was still asleep upstairs. Jessie woke to yells of "Mom is gushing!" as Kristine ran around, grabbing a towel my mom would use to put pressure on her injury. Quickly composing herself, Kristine and the now wide awake Jessie would proceed to transport the patient to Newton Hospital.                                                                                                                             When they entered the town of Newton, they were soon delayed by (you guessed it) the Memorial Day Parade! As my sister inched her Terrain forward towards the police officer, who was diverting traffic, my mom rolled down the window to ask for alternate directions to the hospital around the parade. His face expressed some shock upon seeing the blood that now covered the front of my mom's shirt. Fortunately, the officer was able to provide directions. My sisters met my dad at the hospital, since he had gone to the local deli for coffee when the incident was unfolding. Entering the emergency room, my mom was greeted by the receptionist's statement of "Oh my" followed by a demand for insurance cards and co-payments. Being a rather slow day in the ER, my mom was placed on a cot where they cleaned and assessed her cut. The physician's assistant on call went through the typical protocol of asking my mom questions to evaluate her for any signs of concussion. "What month is it?," "Do you know where you are?," and "What holiday is it?" Answering the questions to the physician assistant's satisfaction, he administered a needle to numb the area and injected four staples into the side of my mom's head. This was followed by a Tetanus shot to her upper arm from the nurse on duty.                                                                                                                Needless to say, I was relieved when my mom returned home. In keeping with her philosophy of putting her family's needs and wants before her own, she insisted on making her homemade potato salad for our family's Memorial Day barbecue, despite my family's concerns. No cut on the head can prevent my mom from doing what her family desires and for this I love her. I hope someday to be able to have the strength and composure of my mom, but for now I'll just enjoy her delicious potato salad!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            photo sources - https://www.oceanchamber.org/events/details/memorial-day-parade-05-29-2019-17296 and http://www.cityofhubbard-oh.gov/memorial-day-procession/