When I was 19 years old, my Father's Mother Grannie Boney as I caller her, passed away. She had developed symptoms that were comparable to Allshiemers and at times she could be quite a handful for anyone in her midst. In fact, prior to her illness, she was already a handful. She was the type of person that if it popped in her head it immediately shot out her without a second thought nor the first regret.
I helped my Aunt care for her for the last couple months that she could not be left alone and I was there at her house the night she died. From there we went through the wonderful task of making arrangements for her funeral and the process of setting those arrangements in motion. It was the first time that someone I was truly close to passed away when I was old enough to understand and at the time, though I could accept what happened, it was a huge learning experience.
At 24 years old, I was standing at the foot of my other Grandmother's hospital bed the second she crossed over to the other side. A lot had happened in five years and I had learned a lot more about the acceptance if the things that I could not change. Death after all is a part of life and no matter how you try, you will never make it out of this life alive. I helped my Mother with the arrangements of all of this situation, and once again went through the motions setting those arrangements to actions.
Shortly after this was another chapter in the course of history, my Mother and I made the decision that it's too difficult to make these arrangements on short notice. Plus, since she and I could not come up with a viable plan for when she would check out, we made the decision to plan ahead. So will my Mother is alive and well, we have already revised her will and planned her funeral. We're both pretty off the wall individuals, so it was not a somber experience despite the concept of what we were doing. I even attempted to try out a coffin that she had picked out, but the funeral home would not allow me, and my Mother begged me to stop embarrassing her.
No matter how hard we try, death in this life, is something that we will all face. Loved will make there way across the divide and we too shall someday pass. No matter how prepared we are, I don't believe we are ever truly prepared, we just learn to accept what we can't change and deal with the harsh realities when they come our way.And for those of us who have had loved ones returned to the soil, then you understand this all too well.
If youare still reading this, then in all honesty, your attention span is much better than mine. However, if you still are, I would like for you to do me a favor. There is a member of AR that today understands these situations all too well, and it would be nice to send some encouraging words her way. She can be found here on a blog she wrote this morning. So, if you have an opportunity, please stop by and let her know she will be in your thoughts.
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