Give it a go...

With my mom in an ever-increasing bad state, I didn't think I'd be able to get to Australia to see her one last time. I wasn't sure I wanted to - instead, to remember her as we saw her in April/May this year. But it seems my hesitation here has given the wrong impression there - that my priorities don't run to being there for my parents, that I don't care.

So today I'm going to see if it's possible to go over for a week. I've asked a friend to check if an anonymous offer to pay tickets from earlier this year still stands, I've asked my son to think about whether he'd want to go with or not, I'm checking on ticket availability and what I'm going to do with dogs & fish (and/or son, if he's not along for the trip). I've found out about compassionate leave and arranged to move my last week's holiday from around Christmas to whenever I can get a ticket. I think I know how to handle my annual huge work load that kicks in now until March next year, from a distance. I'll still have to speak to the mega-boss though, who only gets back to the office tomorrow.

Unfortunately school holidays are coming, and tickets may be in extremely short supply....

But it's a start.

If it works out, I'll be there for at around a week. If it doesn't, at least I'll know I tried. And so will my parents.

::update::
Well, the offer of help is no longer valid, my son thinks he can handle going, and I don't know if the bosses are going to grant me compassionate leave. A bit of a mixed bag, I'm afraid! I'll keep investigating, but it doesn't look like we'll manage a quick trip in the next week or so (and perhaps for my son's sake that would be best).

::update 2::
More investigation done, and we are definitely not going to make it. I've sent a long email to my dad explaining just why I, as oldest duty-bound kid, can't be there, and that it's not because my priorities are screwed up or that I haven't tried. I simply can't. Between work, finances, what-to-do-with-the-kid and a number of other factors, I just can't. I hope they'll forgive me for not managing to make a plan.