Sleepless Day After Sleepless Night
The death certificate said that Mom died of respiratory failure, COVID, and lung cancer. I'm shocked. I thought that it was renal failure. And I didn't know that her lung cancer came back! She had surgery to remove it last year (I think). And I didn't know that COVID played a part in her death. I don't know if it makes a difference though; Mom wouldn't have wanted to be on a respirator. The death certificate is making Mom's death real. I'm doing the visitation, although I think that they're kind of ghoulish, so that I'll believe that she's really dead. It's kind of theoretical to me now.
I've been sending emails back and forth with my dad about my plans for Mom. I mentioned that she mentioned a green burial right before she died, but green cemeteries are hard to find. Dad suggested having memorial trees planted in Mom's honor, which is a great idea. I also was looking for something people could contribute to in lieu of flowers, and that would work.
I still can't sleep, so I got up and emptied the car. I figured out how to put the seats down, which is good because I want to strap the cats' carriers in. Now if I can only figure out how to get the trunk open from the outside. I was wondering if I got a valet set of keys that won't open the trunk, but that's kind of silly because you can get to the trunk by flipping the seats down. I pulled out the car manual and will have a look at it. Now I'm going to eat and then work on tidying up the place and packing until I collapse.
I found the email address of Mom's priest friend, so I sent him an email. Her church had information about funeral services, and most of the things that I wanted to include could not be included. The Mass follows a strict formula. So I'd need to have a Celebration of Life before or after the Mass.
Awww. Zara didn't like me being gone last night, and she is curled up asleep right next to my desk. She looks like a little angel, for the moment anyway!
I did get some cleaning (here in Urbana before I leave) done. Now I'm starting to fade. I should be able to get a good night's sleep and still get up early.