Grieving

[yotlyolqualli]

Many here know that my sister, Betsy, died on July 31st of this year. She was the oldest of 11. Mother and Dad had 8 children, Dad went on and had 3 more with his second wife.

She was 51 years old and left behind two teenaged children.

Tomorrow, would have been her 52nd birthday. She was entirely too young to die! Mother died at age 53. On Sept.23 she will have been dead for 18 years. Sept is a hard hard month for me. I officially hate hospitals, especially Geissinger Danville. In that hospital, I stood at my Aunt Jane's death bed in ICU at that hospital She died of ovarian cancer that had already gone into her bones by the time she was diagnosed. Her death, from diagnosis to the end, was 4 days. I was discharged from that same hospital 3 months later and instead of going home, I was walked, by my brother, over to the ICU, where, the next day, I stood at the death bed of my brother in law who died of end stage scirrosis of the liver. I saw his wife, my sister, Betsy and his children, go through that hellish scene. Then this past July, we stood at Betsy's death bed. All of this happened in less than two years. I don't think I've even had the time to fully process my Aunt's death, because the death of my sister's husband, and then my sister, didn't give any of us time to fully process. It's just been one hit after another...

... and people wonder why I don't always wake up with a smile on my face.

Grief.

For me, and for mine, using my Mother's sense of humor....

"grief... it's what's for dinner."


What keeps me going?

Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these, is love.


(a song we sang at my sister's graveside service)

God be with you till we meet again
By His councel guide uphold you
With His sheep securely fold you
God be with you till we meet again

Till we meet, till we meet
Till we meet at Jesus feet!
Till we meet, till we meet
God be with you till we meet again!