The sadness and craziness continued

Yesterday continued the sadness of last week.  The funeral of Aunt Margie was lovely.  There were so many funny stories about her.  She was one stubborn woman, and that led to some comedy in life.  I have really good memories of Aunt Margie, and although I hadn't been able to see her in the last several years, we always exchanged Christmas cards, and I'll just miss knowing she is around and hearing new stories.  My heart also ached for my grandmother as we buried her sister.  Grandma has now outlived her parents, her son, all of her siblings and their spouses, her husband, and all of his siblings and spouses.  The thing is though, at 84, she is still getting around fabulously.  She is just an amazing woman, and although much quieter than Aunt Margie, just as stubborn and strong willed.

We also thought we were going to have to put our cat down yesterday.  Before Andrew left to take him to the vet, I said my good-byes and told him I loved him.  Thomas and Catherine both wanted to go along, and as always, my little guy's tender heart made me tear up.  At the same time, his strength in wanting to be there if it was the end was inspiring.  I love my three kids more than I can even put into words.  Ultimately, it turns out that the vet thinks it is just an infection and put him on antibiotics, although at age 15 we are all realistic.

In between the sadness of two family funerals, we also had continued craziness.  Robert worked literally all day Sunday while the rest of us ventured north for the visitation.  Saturday Robert ran in the final race of the season, and while he didn't set a PR, he still did well considering the conditions.  We only had a half hour from the time we returned from the race until he had to be at the high school again for his band competition, and he was a tired young man.

During all of this, one of the greatest comforts was how gorgeous it is outside right now.  We are in peak conditions with the leaves, and driving through rural farmland gave us many opportunities to witness the beauty.  It brought such a sense of peace and comfort, and I couldn't help but feel God's presence in all of it.  The colors on the leaves are just astounding!  I'm even grateful I had to spend so much time on the road, as today and tomorrow is going to bring heavy wind and rains, so that will be the end of it.

I'm looking forward to what I hope will be something of a quieter week!