Bereavement Again

On May 29, 2008 my mother died of congestive heart failure, just a month and 4 days after my father died. Again, my brother and his wife were her caregivers for the weeks following my Dad's passing. In addition to that burden, my brother was still trying to settle matters regarding my father's death and was trying to get things set up so that he could take care of Mom's financial needs. Now, the situation has changed yet again, and he is in the mode of being executor of the estate. My brother and sister-in-law have been amazing under all this stress.

My part has been small in comparison. My husband and I spent a week up north in my parents home cleaning out the junk and sorting through papers to find anything of value. It was a major task, considering my parents threw nothing out in their later years, and saved a whole lot from their earlier days. I am glad that we were able to do what we could to give my brother and his wife some relief.

The past six or seven weeks have been an incredible journey. We traveled north three times, mourned the loss of two parents, reconnected with extended family members and neighbors of my parents, and pondered life and death, family and love. So much has gone through my mind. Some feelings and thoughts have been too deep to express. I know, however, that I have been changed by it all.