It is with great sadness that I write that Doug, my mother's husband, died on October 27. We were in Turkey when we heard the news and were just as shocked as everyone else was. It happened quickly, so quickly, too quickly...but then who am I to judge? It was debilitating to be so far away, but my Mom had a great support system there at home who were amazing. I ensured I came home during the Christmas break to be with her, assuming it would be a hard time of year.
There is nothing quite like debilitating news to make you realize just how fragile we are. We have only this one body, this one time, this short time to make something we do, maybe everything we do, count: to spend time with those we love, to make the legacy that was us, is us, count. What a profound
opportunity.
Tragedy does tend to bring you together, but I think it's laughing and sharing time together in the face of that tragedy that really bonds people after all is said and done. It's been a challenging month and I'm glad my life is going to return to normal, but it's hard to imagine how much my Mom's life has changed. What is the new normal? Glibly, I think, "nothing a good trip across the pond can't fix!", but I know it runs much deeper than that. It's been very rewarding, very soothing to spend this time with her. As much as I started to feel like Brennen in Stepbrothers, a 38-year old whinging adult child, I will miss her as I get back to my own semblance of reality. Here we go...
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