life is kind of going off the rails for a while
It's been a long, difficult day. Jack and his dad and siblings gathered at the hospital this morning and were with Jack's mom when the doctor told her the news about her cancer. Jack had dropped Charlotte off in my office before he went to be with his mom so I gave Charlotte a coloring book and some highlighters to color with while I worked. I brushed her hair back off her face, gave her a snuggle, and she chatted with me while we both 'worked'. It was very bittersweet, knowing what was happening in another room down the hall. I just didn't know if I should be there or not so I gave them the space and privacy they needed. When Jack came back to get Charlotte I wiped the tears off his cheek, gave him a hug and he hung on to me tightly. I wish I knew how to make this less painful for him.
Jack took his parents home for the day so that his mom could make some phone calls and let her friends and family know, pack some more things etc. Jack and his siblings were busy all day talking with their parents about wills, banking, power of attorney, all kinds of things. Jack's mom is back in the hospital tonight and may not go home again. It could be weeks, it could be months, but it won't be long :-/
Jack's mom is being cared for, now the concern is his dad. He is insisting that he stay at home and that he'll manage on his own but he really can't live alone. We've offered to move things around here so that he could stay with us, at least until Shirley passes, so that he can be in the same town and be able to visit her whenever he wants. It's either that or see if we can get him into respite care at the nursing home here which is attached to the hospital. It's hard to go against his wishes especially now when he is already facing the loss of his wife.
Jack's brother was here with us for supper and is spending the night. He and Jack are both exhausted and totally drained. I realize that this is just another part of life but it's so hard. I've buried a child and that is NOT the usual way things work but unfortunately, burying our parents is the natural order of things. With my dad's alzheimer's diagnosis I imagine I'll be dealing with the death of one of my own parents in the next year or two. It's too painful to think about right now.
Life feels......slanted. We're in limbo, busy, grieving but....not really. Not yet. The focus has shifted to the care of Jack's parents and even 'normal' things like shopping for kids' clothes, scrapbooking, or studying feels strange, almost wrong. Maybe because she's not my biological parent, I feel somewhat removed from the situation and yet when I see the pain that the rest of the family is feeling, it all feels incredibly close and very real.
Jack took his parents home for the day so that his mom could make some phone calls and let her friends and family know, pack some more things etc. Jack and his siblings were busy all day talking with their parents about wills, banking, power of attorney, all kinds of things. Jack's mom is back in the hospital tonight and may not go home again. It could be weeks, it could be months, but it won't be long :-/
Jack's mom is being cared for, now the concern is his dad. He is insisting that he stay at home and that he'll manage on his own but he really can't live alone. We've offered to move things around here so that he could stay with us, at least until Shirley passes, so that he can be in the same town and be able to visit her whenever he wants. It's either that or see if we can get him into respite care at the nursing home here which is attached to the hospital. It's hard to go against his wishes especially now when he is already facing the loss of his wife.
Jack's brother was here with us for supper and is spending the night. He and Jack are both exhausted and totally drained. I realize that this is just another part of life but it's so hard. I've buried a child and that is NOT the usual way things work but unfortunately, burying our parents is the natural order of things. With my dad's alzheimer's diagnosis I imagine I'll be dealing with the death of one of my own parents in the next year or two. It's too painful to think about right now.
Life feels......slanted. We're in limbo, busy, grieving but....not really. Not yet. The focus has shifted to the care of Jack's parents and even 'normal' things like shopping for kids' clothes, scrapbooking, or studying feels strange, almost wrong. Maybe because she's not my biological parent, I feel somewhat removed from the situation and yet when I see the pain that the rest of the family is feeling, it all feels incredibly close and very real.