Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Best and the Worst, Day 3



There's rarely anything good to come of losing a loved one. But sometimes it's possible to find silver linings amongst the great grey clouds. For one, we had our adorable children with us. They bring light and life and smiles to all situations. I sat with Chris and Annie during the Service, and they were so good, they were amazingly well behaved. I was so proud. I was Blessed to be able to listen, to hear what others thought of Grandma.

Of course the church was a full house, full of people. Grandma was very active in the church, and this Mass showed that. Charlie and Sam may have futures in the Faith, because they seemed much more interested in debating with the priest during the service. I was grateful I knew every hymn sung, because I couldn't find a hymnal or program. Even Chris was singing along with me, not necesarily to the words, but just singing. And that made me smile. And a smile through all the tears is close to my favorite emotion.

After the service, there was a luncheon, all kinds of great grub made up by church ladies, the best kind. They even had beef on weck. The kids were pretty well behaved, but very distracting. We broke out the stroller for Charlie, which ended up being quite a fun prop for the kids to play with. And being able to laugh at them, with them, was refreshing.




After the luncheon, we went back to the hotel to change. The rest of the family was headed back to Grandma's to hang out. But once we got comfortable, we had to lay down. All 7 of us slept. And that was very necessary. Afterwards, we went to Grandma's house. It was really weird, not having her there. But there was lots of family, drinking wine, and telling stories, and Grandma would've loved that.



Cousin Gretchen I hadn't seen in years, and now she's engaged, and she loved loving on the kids. She's collecting wine corks for her wedding, and they had quite a stash going and the kids couldn't stay out of it. I suppose it's ok if that's the only wine exposure they get for a while.




After some visiting, we went out for Pizza and Wings. So Good. And we all sat at one table, which was a nice way to just talk with Daddy and MB, and pass around the cuteness. The kids behaved, which was amazing, considering the day. And they provided the happy distraction of Miraculous Cuteness, that was exactly what we all needed.



It didn't change the fact that we missed Grandma bitterly, or that having to say Goodbye sucks. But having the boys and girls with us, was a very good decision, a welcome distraction, and just wonderful to observe the full circle of life. Grandma loved these kids, and they loved her, Chris kept saying all day how much he missed Grandma. It brought tears to my eyes. No doubt he did. But he handles death so maturely, he understands that she's in heaven, 'with my kitties', and that she's very happy there with Jesus and Papa. But we are sad, and he understood how it helps to say goodbye and tell stories, and share hugs with other who loved her too. She'll always be with us, as long as we remember, and we'll make sure these kids always remember. Even though we are all so sad, life goes on, almost in fast forward with these kids around. I can't help but want to sit back and enjoy the show.

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