Life Goes On
So, the trip to D.C. was an absolute blast. I got to do and see things there that I missed the last two times and it was neat to share past experiences and information with my mom and my daughter. I know they had a fantastic time, too.
Unfortunately, the trip was shortened by a day when we received a call that my grandfather had taken a turn for the worse and wasn't expected to last more than a few hours. By the time we had packed up and were waiting for the valet to bring the car the call had come in that he had passed away.
It was a hard trip home -- long -- so much longer, it seems, than the drive up. We left D.C. at 11:00 am Sunday and pulled into my driveway at 3:00 am Monday. We collapsed for a few hours then were on the road again to make funeral arrangements. Thankfully, Grandpa had everything prearranged and prepaid. All we had to do was pick a date and time.
Flash forward to Thursday. For a refreshing change of pace, xyellowroset came into town for a business meeting and I met her at the airport for dinner and an amazing margarita. I won't go into her predicament-filled evening but I'm very glad she finally got some sleep in an unoccupied room. :-) It was nice to get away from home for a few hours and spend some time with a wonderful person. Thanks, sweetie! And, I'm glad you made it home without incident.
The funeral was yesterday. We drove the 135 miles south to Stuart and got there at 2:00. We were the first to arrive and Mom refused to go into the "chapel" to see Grandpa in "repose." I did, and I must say that he looked wonderful. Not unnatural at all, but like he was sleeping. I was pleased. Sean was the first to lose it, which meant that I got to slip into Mommy-mode and focus on him rather than me. It really wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be.
My uncle arrived shortly after that and handed me a copy of a photo he had taken of Grandpa a few months ago. That got me started with the tears, but I'm so glad he had thought to do that. He'd made a copy for everyone.
Right at 4:00, just as the priest was starting the service, my sister arrived. She hurridly sat next to me and we cried a little, then lightened each other's moods by nudging and elbowing whenever the priest made a blatently Catholic comment. It's difficult to be a Pagan in a room full of Christians, you know. At least we weren't on the front row.
Then the service was over -- we paid our last respects and filed out of the room. I got to keep Grandpa's flag. I'm going to get a display case and have his name engraved. I plan on keeping his dog tags and the photos I took at the WWII Memorial with the flag.
I drove Grandpa's car home from the funeral home. We're not sure, yet, what we're going to do with it -- perhaps sell it -- but it's going to be in my driveway until everything has been taken care of with the legalities. We have and appointment with an attorney on the 29th -- the father of a fellow I went to school with (and my ex's best friend), so I know I can trust him.
One little aside -- my grandfather always kept very good care of his cars so his car is in excellent condition. I drove that car 132 miles before the windshield cracked. Yes -- cracked! I don't know what caused it but, on the passenger side at the top of the windshield is an eight inch crack. Meg and I heard a "pop" and wondered what it could have been. A few minutes later, I looked up and realized the "pop" was the glass cracking. We've checked and nothing hit the windshield that we can tell. All I can figure is that Grandpa was telling me to slow down. :-)
Unfortunately, the trip was shortened by a day when we received a call that my grandfather had taken a turn for the worse and wasn't expected to last more than a few hours. By the time we had packed up and were waiting for the valet to bring the car the call had come in that he had passed away.
It was a hard trip home -- long -- so much longer, it seems, than the drive up. We left D.C. at 11:00 am Sunday and pulled into my driveway at 3:00 am Monday. We collapsed for a few hours then were on the road again to make funeral arrangements. Thankfully, Grandpa had everything prearranged and prepaid. All we had to do was pick a date and time.
Flash forward to Thursday. For a refreshing change of pace, xyellowroset came into town for a business meeting and I met her at the airport for dinner and an amazing margarita. I won't go into her predicament-filled evening but I'm very glad she finally got some sleep in an unoccupied room. :-) It was nice to get away from home for a few hours and spend some time with a wonderful person. Thanks, sweetie! And, I'm glad you made it home without incident.
The funeral was yesterday. We drove the 135 miles south to Stuart and got there at 2:00. We were the first to arrive and Mom refused to go into the "chapel" to see Grandpa in "repose." I did, and I must say that he looked wonderful. Not unnatural at all, but like he was sleeping. I was pleased. Sean was the first to lose it, which meant that I got to slip into Mommy-mode and focus on him rather than me. It really wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be.
My uncle arrived shortly after that and handed me a copy of a photo he had taken of Grandpa a few months ago. That got me started with the tears, but I'm so glad he had thought to do that. He'd made a copy for everyone.
Right at 4:00, just as the priest was starting the service, my sister arrived. She hurridly sat next to me and we cried a little, then lightened each other's moods by nudging and elbowing whenever the priest made a blatently Catholic comment. It's difficult to be a Pagan in a room full of Christians, you know. At least we weren't on the front row.
Then the service was over -- we paid our last respects and filed out of the room. I got to keep Grandpa's flag. I'm going to get a display case and have his name engraved. I plan on keeping his dog tags and the photos I took at the WWII Memorial with the flag.
I drove Grandpa's car home from the funeral home. We're not sure, yet, what we're going to do with it -- perhaps sell it -- but it's going to be in my driveway until everything has been taken care of with the legalities. We have and appointment with an attorney on the 29th -- the father of a fellow I went to school with (and my ex's best friend), so I know I can trust him.
One little aside -- my grandfather always kept very good care of his cars so his car is in excellent condition. I drove that car 132 miles before the windshield cracked. Yes -- cracked! I don't know what caused it but, on the passenger side at the top of the windshield is an eight inch crack. Meg and I heard a "pop" and wondered what it could have been. A few minutes later, I looked up and realized the "pop" was the glass cracking. We've checked and nothing hit the windshield that we can tell. All I can figure is that Grandpa was telling me to slow down. :-)