When the third text went through as SMS, I assumed my mom was dead. It was a major jump to conclusions, sure, but hear me out: She lives alone, on the other side of the country from both of her children and her siblings, and for the past few years she’s had an unrelenting series of health scare whack-a-moles, some of which we’ve been able to fly out to support with, and others we haven’t. I’ve tried to develop a habit of checking in more regularly than I used to.