My mother passed away on October 12. It’s been a difficult two weeks with her being ill and then dying. My family and I have worked through her funeral and working on her estate. I’ve been so busy, I’ve not had time to get to grieving.
I’ve been touchy. The littlest thing will either make me cry or be exceedingly angry. There’s no rhyme or reason to it – this is just my process.
The funeral was on Monday. Yesterday two of my daughters flew back to their home. My husband and I spent the afternoon doing things like walking through her apartment to double check everything and turning in her keys, returning the picture boards to the funeral home, returning her phone modem and turning off her phone service. I spent more time writing thank you cards and organizing money to go to the church for their youth programs.
Writing some of the thank you cards took a lot of time. They needed to be worded with care. The doctor and nurses who helped mom in her last days deserved to know how much we appreciated the care they gave her.
Today I went back to work. I was exhausted before I got to work – another symptom of my grieving. I’m able to sleep a little better now. The last couple weeks my sleep has been sporadic.
The care I’ve received – I don’t really have the words for how much people have given to me. I’m still in the numb phase so don’t feel anyone needs to comfort me until I crash and need the comfort. People are willing to listen and talk or not talk about it. My faculty and student workers have been patient and understanding. The care and concern they have shown warms my heart. A friend who planned a vacation postponed it to be at the funeral. She offered distraction and advice as she was able.
My niece listened to me grumble as I stressed over getting tasks done. She took time to care even as she grieved. The family came together without contentiousness and helped each other. I’m impressed we could manage this – we are a bunch of strong willed people who all like their own way.
My daughters and husband have been there through all of this, helping me as I did tasks which had to be done. They encouraged and supported me. I can’t say enough about them. With the five of us together, we spent time together, had meals together. In all the stress, they were the best part of the last two weeks.
Mom loved her grandchildren. She loved seeing them, talking to them, and spending time with them. My daughters all got to say I love you to her and hear her say I love you back on her last day.
In my head, I see her walking to dad. She’s not in pain. She’s happy, healthy, and at peace. I see my father, who passed 34 years ago, greeting her with a passionate kiss because he never could keep his hands off her. I think they’re planning their next trip or making love.