Easter Recap

So i am back to work today after taking monday off to travel back to cinci from my weekend home. It was nice to get home early on friday-- thanks to Matt's work schedule-- and have a nice dinner with the family at a reasonable time. We had this amazing sushi at a new asian restaurant that literally is like teleporting to Japan. Everything seemed authentic, and the food was FANTASTIC. It was a nice way to start the weekend off on the upswing. The weather was great almost the entire weekend, and Saturday i made cheesy hash browns for brunch at my Aunt's on Easter and Deviled eggs for dinner at my grandma's later in the afternoon. It was the first Easter since matt's been around when we haven't been driving through snow piled streets. It was beautiful.

Until we got the phone call from my dad's sister that my Great Aunt had passed away. The whole rest of the weekend turned somber as the news is still hard to digest. Now, i never was very close to her because she is a little bit removed from my life. However, my dad saw her as a second mom growing up, she lived right next door to my grandma for my dad's entire life and they were inseparable. My Grandma and my aunt called each other every day, they used to sit on the stoop together and chit chat (when they were both a little more able bodied), they were always looking out for one another. They helped each other through everything in life, even the hardest things like losing their husbands. They held the closest bond of sibling hood and really brought it to a new level or closeness and really, they have never been apart. Until now.

I am really sad about it. I am sad for my grandma, even though i don't think her head accepts it yet. She says she still cant believe it. And how could you? You've lived every single day talking to this person for 90 years and one day she isnt there. 90 years with someone right next door! I am sad for my dad, as he clearly is having a hard time realizing it because she was a huge part in his mom's life and his life growing up. All the memories flash through your head and the sadness grows. And the ironic part, my sister stopped over on Friday to check in to report back to grandma since Auntie was in teh hospital earlier last week, she looks 'great' according to D. And the questions mount as to what the right decision should have been that could have kept her alive. But this day was bound to come as she was 93 years old with her internal organs were all failing her to some degree.

I think of Auntie fondly through grandma;s stories.... and pretty much every time i visit grandma she had some kind of update from her. I remember growing up and visiting and walking over to Auntie's in the evenings because that;s where they always sat and talked outside on the stoop. I also remember playing in grandma;s backyard and hearing her yell at her husband-- she was always a feisty women with one heck of an opinion. And she was never afraid to voice it, no matter how it came out. But it's funny because that's just how she was, and she told you what she thinks because she cares. But the stories will probably dwindle now, and i have no idea what the next couple days, weeks, months will be like for Grandma. I hope and pray that she is OK... even though i can only imagine how profound the sadness may be. And i will probably never understand or even know.

For now i can only pray for the people i love that are still here. The wake is tonight and the funeral is Wednesday. Grandma wont be able to go because she isn't mobile, but i hope it's beautiful and hopeful. As grandma said to me yesterday, better days will come.