Back to reality

As I sit here on a Wednesday afternoon drinking my coffee and eating a slice of pumpkin roll, there are lots of thoughts going through my head. Let me begin with the events of last week.

My grandmother, who had been battling Alzheimer's disease for the last 10 years was put into Hospice. My mom, along with her brothers and sisters, were with her every day. They took shifts so that someone would always be there and that she wasn't alone. They took turns doing dinners and keeping each other company through the whole ordeal. After realizing that she was going to pass away quickly, I decided that I needed to see her at least once before she did...even if she didn't know who I was and I knew it'd be hard. So, I left work on Tuesday to see her. My beautiful, graceful grandmother was laying in bed asleep. My uncle Jerry was there, watching tennis of course, and just sitting by her side. I didn't stay long, but decided right then and there that I would try to help and support the family as best I could.

I have a part time job that I was supposed to work at all last week. I knew it would be hard to get out of, but really, what is more important, being with your family or working a part-time job? So, I told my boss that I needed to cut back my hours because of what was going on. The next day, Wednesday, she let me leave 2 hours early. Thankfully, I went right over to Hospice to see my family and grandmother. Each day, we thought that would be it, but to the amazement of everyone around her, she kept holding on. She was a tough woman! Thursday I went to pick my sister Katy up from Kent and went over to Hospice again. This would be the final time I would see my grandmother. My mom stayed there over night along with the aunts and uncles and lots of wine! The nurses joked that "this was the place to be!" I offered to get more wine for them, but they said they were good. We gave our mom a hug, said our goodbyes, and left. All day Friday at work I checked my phone expecting to hear from my mom. Then finally, around 3, my sister Katy texted me to call my mom and I knew that she had passed away.

I of course was not up for my part time job again and was it ever difficult to get out of! Anyway, I didn't have to go in so my WONDERFUL boyfriend Brian came over to see us. He even brought my mom a plant. My mom, Brian, Katy, Eric, and I went out for Mexican. A pitcher of margaritas and very full stomaches later, we were feeling a little better. Sad, but better.

The rest of the weekened we kind of just hung out...I spent half the weekend at my house, half at Brian's, but he was with me the whole time. I even got Lacey in for a haircut. The groomers said she was so good and so cute. Watched the Buckeyes and Browns, went to Zach's pancreatic cancer fundraiser, and relaxed.

Monday night were the calling hours. There were so many people that came to support our family. It was nice to see old family and friends. Grandma looked peaceful, and actually there was almost a sense of relief that she WAS finally at peace and not in pain misery anymore. We knew that she was happy with her Ralph up in heaven.

The funeral was held Tuesday morning. It was cloudy/rainy of course...how fitting? Held at St. Vincent St. Mary, it was a very nice service. Uncle Paul gave a wonderful eulogy. The burial was at Holy Cross Cemetary where we all sang "Amazing Grace." Brian said, "Wow, you guys sound like a choir." We are a very musically talented family! :) After it was over, the sky cleared and the sun came out. We went over to Aunt Dot's house where we all acted like we hadn't eaten in 2 days! Then it was all over and now it is back to the real world.

So, all of this has made me realize many things...

1. Life is precious!! You don't know what's going to happen today, or tomorrow!
2. You should live each day to the fullest.
3. You should not stress about little things. (which I have to get better at!)
4. Family is everything! You should always be there for your family because you would want them to be there for you!
5. Have faith! The one thing that made my grandmother's death a little easier is because she had strong faith and so does our family! We know she is up there with Grandpa smiling down on us.
6. If you are not happy, you should find a way to make yourself happy! Life is too short to always be unhappy!
7. Ignore those people that try to make you feel bad about yourself. We are better than that!
8. Be a good person! Just try to be nice to people around you and maybe they'll be nice to you!
9. Don't abandon your hobbies/beliefs/values! If you like doing something, do it! Don't let other people hold you back becaue they don't enjoy it.
10. Good friends are hard to find! I am blessed that I have some GREAT friends. As I get older, it is more apparent to be who my true friends are. I consider my friends, my family!

So now, it's back to reality. Am I changed? I think so. There are some things I think I need to do, but haven't yet. Hopefully I can find the courage and strength to do what I have to do.