Happy New Year!

About an hour ago my phone rang and I answered it.
On the other end was my mom, in hysterics. And by hysterics, I mean “in a state of uncontrolled laughter.”
I had to wait to allow time for her to breathe, and tell me what was going on.
While I was waiting for her story to come to the surface though, I was already happy about whatever it was. My mom, who is now 74 years old, has not had an easy last few years. Her health has not been all that great. About two years ago now, we very nearly lost her. Ever since my dad passed away [her husband of 48 years, just to clarify] in 1999, my mom has not been the same. Shortly afterwards, she was diagnosed with a mild type of leukemia. She was on the pill-form of chemotherapy, lost her hair as a result, and at times, she was so feeble that well, quite frankly, it scared us all quite a bit.
She sold her house [the house I grew up in… that is, if I ever did grow up, the jury is still out on that point] and several subsequent living arrangements simply did not work out for her. Feeling a recurrent sense of displacement, she ended up way out on Vancouver Island for a while, and then now, has returned to our home province of Saskatchewan, where she has recently moved in to her own apartment. It seems she has finally found her spot! Her health is on the rebound. She is looking and feeling great, and thoroughly enjoying her new place. It is within walking distance to her church, as well as several shopping malls, and, to use a hen-like analogy, she is near to about half her brood. I am the furthest away, geographically speaking.
So the phone rings.
And there’s my mom, I can tell that she is crying from laughing. Her voice is squeaking, she’s trying to tell me something, I can tell, but she is worse than a 16-year old that has just seen someone slip on the ice and land flat on their back.
Finally, she gets it out.
Apparently, it being Easter Sunday and all, she had just called her old neighbor, Mary, to wish her a Happy Easter.
But instead of saying “Happy Easter” dear old mom said “Happy New Year.”
And she hasn’t been the same since.
She squeaked out to me that she could not even finish any sort of coherent sentence with Mary after that blunder.
So, [of course] she phoned me immediately afterward.
And she never finished any coherent sentence with me, either!
While she was killing herself laughing, I said to her…. “You’re just a bit early mom, that’s all. What you need to do is call Mary back in 270 days and wish her a Happy Easter.”
Then I think my mom passed out on the floor.

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