A Cycle of Life

So, I had been all excited to come back from the trip to MIL's with a report of our success in the "taking advantage of my fertile window this cycle" department, but that's not the only (and by far the lesser) news of this past week.

As I mentioned in a previous post, DH and I went to visit his mom and his grandparents over the long holiday weekend. Officially, we'd gone down to celebrate Papa's Labor Day birthday, like we had last year. Unofficially, or rather, unbeknownst to Grandma, we were coming down to spend some special time with her, because she'd not been doing well at all. Her lung cancer had resurfaced, and she had entered a Hospice program, which signaled to us that time was short. Ever the stalwart, Grandma didn't want anybody to know, but Papa told us anyway.

We arrived late Friday night, and on Saturday and Sunday nights, DH, MIL, SIL (who made the trip down as well) and I went over to Grandma and Papa's for dinner. We brought everything for the meal: main course, salads, drinks, even down to the paper plates and cups that Papa refused to let us use. On Sunday night we added cake to the mix, and had an early birthday celebration for Papa, since SIL had to leave the next morning. It was a fun time, we chatted all evening and took pictures with Grandma in all possible familial combinations. We also helped her wrap her gift for Papa, a handsome green patterned tie, which she hadn't had a chance to wrap (since he was pretty much always with her). Then we said our good nights and went home. We left feeling somewhat relieved, as we grandkids had all expected Grandma to look like she was on death's door. Instead, she'd been pretty much her chipper, fiesty (and somewhat flirty) self.

So we were shocked when Papa called early the next morning saying that Grandma had died in her sleep.

The saddest thing is that she died on Papa's birthday, and they were due to celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary three days later. We made sure Papa opened the present we helped Grandma wrap the night before. It was a heart-wrenching moment when he realized who the present was from.

Luckily DH and I were able to switch our return flights, so we stayed an extra couple of days to help with the arrangements and to attend the funeral service on Wednesday.

DH and I have been together 8 years, though only married for four months now, so I've gotten to know his Grandma a bit. It was hard to see Grandma go, not the least because she is the fourth grandmother I have buried (my parents' parents are all deceased, and we lost one of my step-grandmothers earlier this year). It also was hard to see Papa look so lost without his life mate, which made me appreciate DH's presence in my life all the more. Amazing how the major events in the cycle of life reflect on each other; being born, growing up, finding a life mate, trying to conceive, raising a family, dying. They're all integral parts of one big whole.

R.I.P. Grandma S., we'll miss you.