Skip to main content

10 years

By

Ten years ago I got a call from Amy. She told me we were needed at the hospital. Michelle had been there for a few days. She'd been there on and off for weeks. She would be sent home, then fall and need to go back. It was terrible every time.

This time when I got there Mom, Dad and Aunt Karen were all in a conference room and they told us the doctors were out of options. They could try a potential surgery but it probably wouldn't work and it would be painful. She was in a coma with a machine helping her breath and they had decided to make her comfortable and let her go.

We sat by her bed all day. We cried and laughed and remembered. And just like Michelle, she waited until we had mostly left to finally pass away.

Today Katie wants to release balloons. I told Jose he can come or not. He chose not because he didn't know her. I think he would have liked her.

She didn't try too hard to be nice. She wasn't particularly outgoing but if she didn't have anything to say she didn't jump to awkward small talk. She would throw out a growl, or a screech or just make a face. She was always the best sister possible. She went out of her way to invite me to do things or talk with me. She truly lived each day like she was dying. I wish my kids, and Brendon, had had the chance to meet her and know someone so beautiful.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Work stuff

By
 My job is difficult to describe to people outside of non-profits so I usually don't. I say I'm a Grant Writer--because I am, but to some people that means a lot and to others it means nothing. I don't get too many people who are interested. To be truthful, I do think grant writing is a spectacular professional that takes a lot of skill. Not only do you have to be an excellent writer, able to tell the stories of the organization in a way that is interesting and inspiring, but you also have to be savvy enough to find your way around hundreds of different online portals (none of which are user friendly) and be diligent enough to meet strict deadlines and compile loads and loads of paperwork. At my organization we submit about 15-30 applications every month and every single application has different requirements and expectations in order to receive funding. The work doesn't stop when an application is turned in. Once we get that funding it adds another to-do to our list, m...
Post a Comment
Read more

I did it!

By
Today, I achieved a great professional achievement. I got my CFRE. It’s a big deal.  Brendon is out of town so I took the girls to get sushi to celebrate. This was our conversation on the way home.  *Passed by a Husband and Wife Law Team billboard Eisley: That dude wears suspenders. I would not call them first. I would call Jonathan first.  Me: I would call Brother Briggs first because he’s a criminal defense lawyer. Jon does HOA law which would not be very useful. Eisley: Ooo yeah. I feel like I’m going to be that kid some day. I’d call Brittany because she has experience, then Bro Briggs.  Me: You’re going to be the one to call to hide a body?  Eisley: Yeah. I’ll probably already be hiding one. I feel like I’m the Brittany, Aspen is Brodie, Kaybree is Dad.  Kaybree: Hmmm, I’m not sure. Aspen—do you like girls? Aspen: What? Kaybree: Just, would you like to marry a girl one day? Aspen: No.  Eisley: If you did, we would love her.  And then we all l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tearful moments

By
In January I cried through my appointments with my oncology doctor and surgeons. The whole idea of having a preventative mastectomy was overwhelming.  I made my peace with it. I made a plan for myself. Work slows down near the end of the year and we get all sorts of holidays so I thought if I could take my time off then, I would be fine. I made it through two whole doctor's appointments with no tears and no fear, because I had a plan, and then today that was messed up. My doctor told me reconstruction could take up to three months--which means I can't do the surgery when I originally planned if I want to get it all done in one calendar year (for insurance purposes). She suggested moving it up to August. That is next month. And if we do the surgery in August that means our family trip we have planned for October--it's a no. Camping trip I planned for September? Probably not. And honestly that all makes me more upset than anything. And suddenly I'm crying again.  I want t...
Post a Comment
Read more