Today we officially finished emptying my grandma's assisted living space. We had to be out by this coming Wednesday, so it's nice to have that finished. It's also awful, of course, because she is gone. But I keep reminding myself, she's really been mostly gone for the last two years, and I'm so grateful that she is no longer existing as she was. And I can only imagine how glorious that reunion in Heaven was when she was greeted by Grandpa and my dad, not to mention her parents and brother and sister. Although the thought brings tears to my eyes, they aren't necessarily sad tears.
And in a beginning, Thomas and Lyndi invited us to their house for dinner, and Catherine and Zeke joined as well. It was a lovely evening getting to visit with everyone, and I was honored that we were their first dinner guests. It was a long day as I'd made the trip to my hometown and back, and then made the hour + trip to their house. It was so great to all be together though.
We've also made a big change for our holiday plans. I explained to my mother that with Thomas and Lyndi's move and a new dog, it will be very difficult for them to have to make a trip to my hometown for Christmas Day. Mom was willing to go to a different day, but I explained it wouldn't be necessary this year as long as Mom would be willing to make the trip down to our house. This also eliminates the stress of getting mom's house presentable for the meal. Not in decent shape, mind you, just so it doesn't stink and shit can be hidden in rooms. Also, she doesn't decorate so it will be nice to have a tree and everything. My sister wasn't going to tell me no, but she did say she probably wouldn't come. I offered to do the gift exchange at another time so she would just be missing the meal, and she said she's send the gifts down. It breaks my heart to think of my sister being alone on Christmas, but she specifically told me she wouldn't be coming down because she didn't want to spend that much time in a car that day. I've offered to drive up and get my mom AND take her back, but the two hours in the car to spend Christmas Day here is too much. I could also point out that since September 1, I've made nine round trips back and forth to my home town, including two that would have been completely unnecessary except that my sister didn't want to deal with things. Totally understandable as she was dealing with a lot, but I'm not sure why it's so expected for me and not acceptable for her. Anyway, I'm excited about the thought of having family here together that day. My mother-in-law is also considering being here from Thanksgiving though Christmas, but that isn't a done deal yet. We'll see how that plays out.
I'm completely exhausted. September is the busiest month for Andrew, and adding Grandma's death and all that goes with it has been a lot to deal with. We are soooo close to my favorite months of the year though, and I'm so grateful. There are so many blessings!
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