Sandwiched

Cindy and I spent Easter Week in Florida. We go every year and stay at Paradise Lakes in a rented Condo. Paridise Lakes is a clothing optional resort not to far from Tampa.
Cindy's parents live in Daytona across the state from Tampa. Her dad has not been doing very well since having heart surgery 3 yrs ago. We visited her parents in the beginning of the week. Her dad nevert leaves his recliner and her poor mother has to help him with everything. We have been trying to convice her it is time for him to be in assisted living. She feels guilty and wants to continue caring for him. It is like a slow death for both of them. We convince her to visit a Vetrens Administration facility not far from where they live. A nice facility, more hospital like, then nursing home looking. But it is all they can afford.
I think my mother-in-law is convinced that she must do this and it will be doable.
The next day she gets a call they have room for him. She is not ready for this and turns it down.
We drive back for Easter and after many discussions she tells us she is ready to put him in the nursing facility. Cindy and I are scheduled to fly home the following day, but Cindy has to stay to help and give her mother support. I change Cindy's airline tickets at triple the original cost and take my leave to get home.
Things go well and Pete is now in the VA. Cindy's mother, Shirely, is wracked with guilt. She talks about getting him new clothes, going every day to get dirty laundry and bring it home for her to wash.
Cindy comes home and she is wracked with guilt. She should have stayed. But she has her teaching job. Our daughter is getting married in June in Cape Cod and there are still many details to attend to. We are both retiring in June.
So here we are at the best time of our lives. Empty nestors, just a wedding to pay for. Now the worry of elderly parents over a thousand miles away.
We are now wondering if our plans to sell the house, buy a motor home and travel the country will come to fruition.
I know this is a familiar story for our generation. My parents generation had their elderly parents move in with them. The delt with many more problems, but certainly seemed to servive everything with more calmness and certainty that everything would be ok. I wish I could speak to them now to find out how they did it. Maybe that is why they are the greatest generation.
I know we will also survive, but why so much angst?