My sister called one day to tell me that our mother’s house was a mess and mom was having trouble keeping it clean. I hung up and immediately began calling places to find out what the house cleaning prices are in my mother’s area. My sister is a bit lazy, and I knew that she would not care to help mom very often. I needed someone dependable to show up two times per week to help mom out with cleaning. I knew that I would need to make bigger plans for the future because it sounded like mom would not be able to continue living on her own for the rest of her life.
My mom has always been a hard worker. She worked a full time job and then she came home each night to take care of the house and me and my sister. My dad had ditched us when I was a baby, so there was no one else to help. I pitched in whenever I could. My sister was not good at helping with that sort of thing, but I can at least say that she left a small footprint and didn’t leave much of a mess when she did things. Mom actually liked to clean, so she did it often. So, when I heard that she was no longer keeping her house looking neat and tidy that it meant she was having trouble due to old age.
I decided that it would be a good idea to fly home for a visit to assess things myself. When I arrived, the house I grew up in looked great. However, I knew that was because I was paying someone to come clean it. I knew from speaking with the cleaning worker and with my sister that the place was a mess before the worker helped out. During my visit, I asked mom if she would be interested in coming to live near me, and she said yes. So, I helped her to pack and put her house on the market during that same trip.