SOLSC Day 22 - There Is Sadness This Week

Slice of Life Story Challenge -- Day 22 #SOL17
There is Sadness This Week








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Sigh. I have a lot of thoughts going through my head right now. I'm still on my Spring Break, but I'm not as joyful about it as I was during the first two days. There is a large dark cloud over this week now. 

"Why?" you might wonder. Maybe I've become jealous of colleagues who are vacationing in places warmer than Ohio? Maybe I'm not accomplishing all the things I had hoped, and I'm starting to get depressed about it?

No, those aren't the reasons. I'm not envious of those who are currently enjoying warm sandy beaches; I was perfectly content to spend my free time here in Ohio. I actually haven't accomplished very many of the things which I had planned, but that's not what has put a damper on my celebration. The event that ended my beginning-of-Break giddy glee was the death of a wonderful woman... a friend, an almost family member.

On Sunday night, my daughter-in-law's mom died.

Her family knew that it was coming. Barbara had been diagnosed last summer with Multiple Myeloma, a type of incurable cancer, and she knew that her time on Earth was limited. She tried treatment for a while in an effort to prolong her life a little, but had recently given up on that. She spent her last few weeks living in the home of her oldest daughter, and that is where she passed away on Sunday, peacefully, in her sleep. She was just 67 years old.

The past two days have been a flurry of activities for Barbara's family: Finalizing funeral arrangements, purchasing funeral outfits, and dozens of either details. I spent much of the past two days babysitting my grandchildren, and occasionally one of their cousins, so that my daughter-in-law could take care of family matters, while my son was still out of state working. My son is home now, and my help isn't needed at the moment, so I am at my own house today.

And I am now alone with my thoughts and feelings.

I feel so sad for Barbara's children. They are all adults -- the youngest will be 30 soon -- but their mother has been their rock for so many years. Even though most of Barbara's six children are married and have children of their own, Barbara was still a big part of their lives. And now their mother is gone, and that is hard.

I admired Barbara. She was a strong woman who was a single mother for many years. She brought up  the youngest four children single-handedly, no father in their lives at all. Times were tough for her, but she raised her children herself, and she raised them well.

And now she is gone. Gone at such a young age, from that horrible, unfair disease we call cancer. Her children, grandchildren, and one great-grandchild already miss her terribly. And I miss my friend.

Today, my writing is in memory of Barbara. She will live on in our memories, she will live on in our hearts.

Rest In Peace, Barbara.

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JudyK  March 22, 2017