The Circle of Life

We just returned home from a weekend up in Apple Valley. Jeff's brother was having his new baby girl blessed. It was such a nice meeting. It was actually Fast Sunday for their congregation and I was impressed with the great testimonies given. Often this meeting can turn into "open mike" day and you get some rambling/irrelevant speakers who like to go about stories having not much to do with really anything..but I digress with my pet peeve. It was a great service.

So after the meeting, we got to spend time with his family which was great to visit. Before heading home, we had planned on visiting Jeff's grandma who is in the hospital with cancer. We had seen her a few weeks ago and she was doing quite well. So we figured we would be able to spend about an hour or so with her again on Monday before heading home in the early afternoon.

So we got to the hospital and we discover that she had taken a turn. I have never seen someone in any advanced stage of illness--or really anyone who we knew was dying. We arrived and she had one of Jeff's cousins there as well as two close friends. They let us know that she was at a point where she did not like being left alone and one of the friends told us that if we could stay longer-now would be the time. Since Jeff and I were there, eventually the others left and we were alone with Grandma. We would hold her hand and Jeff was wonderful with her. He even helped her when she had to throw up (sorry if that's T.M.I. but I have to give props for that. I can't even handle when my own kids do that). I have never felt so helpless watching this sweet grandma who I've always known to be happy and a bit feisty (in a good way-not that grouchy old person way) in such pain that the morphine couldn't even help. Eventually I had to leave to pick up the girls who were at my mom's while Jeff stayed with her a little longer until her friends came back in the evening.

As of yet, she is still with us, but when the doctor is asking if we have a minister to come see her... we know it won't be long. And upon reflection, I think that will be a good thing. She has a husband and son waiting for her and I know she will no longer be in pain.

It feels a little like our happy weekend meeting our new niece was a bit overshadowed by sadness of what is inevitable, but like Disney says, it's the circle of life.