Roadtrip

Normally, I would be excited about a summer roadtrip. But for some reason it doesn't seem right to get excited about taking a roadtrip to a funeral. Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to seeing my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins that I don't get to see very often. It is just the reason for this mini family reunion that really sucks.

Tomorrow, Kaylea and I will be heading up to Indiana to pick up my cousin, Cizzy and her two daughters, K8 and SJ. (you all remember Kaylea's favorite cousin, SJ from the Hilton Head trip?) Needless to say, Kaylea is beside herself with excitement because she gets to play with SJ for another 5 days, or so.

Thursday morning, Cizzy, the girls and I will meet up with ThiThi, Mr. Bob and Ethel and Chris, the two Hens (you know from our Annual Hens and Chicks Trip) they are bringing. I'm sure the intercept destination will be a Cracker Barrel somewhere in Indiana. Afterall, you can't have a roadtrip without at least one stop at a Craker Barrel. After stuffing our guts, we will do our reenactment of Speed Racer to get to Stevens Point, WI by that evening.

I never would have guessed that I would be spending the 4th of July in Wisconsin, but I suppose there could be worse places to be. Actually, in addition to seeing family members, I am looking forward to touring this part of the country. I have never been to Wisconsin, so this will be new territory for me.

Luckily, we will have a couple of days to spend with Auntie H's family. My cousin Thom and his wife are having all of us over to their house on Friday. The kids will get to swim while the adults get to take the every-so-familiar walks down Memory Lane. What is a family gathering without a little bit of "Remember When...?" I'm certain that there will be a lot of laughter and a few tears that day, but we all will go home that evening with a smile on our face and pleasant memories from days gone by.

The caravan of vehicles will be heading back home on Sunday. It will be too soon; but, Auntie H would want it that way. She would expect us to get on with our lives and stop blubbering over her. She was just that type of person.

So, my friends, until we return.............

Strong Country Women

That is what my family is made of. The Doctors removed Auntie H's breathing tube yesterday at 2:10 pm. As of now, she is still breathing on her own. This is something that the Doctors were sure she could not do. She, also, has pneumonia and a temp, but she is still hanging in there.

We have joked that Auntie H is going to die in the same manner she lived her life - ON HER OWN TERMS! No one is going to pull a plug and tell her when she will die; only she, and her Maker, can make that decision.

God bless those strong country women! Hopefully, I was blessed with just a smidgen of their strength and will.

Good-Bye, For Now

Auntie H,

Thank you for being such a great Aunt;
You have given me many happy memories that I will cherish.
A star in my life has burned out;
My skies will no longer be as bright.
I will not mourn for you, though;
I will mourn for myself instead.
You have reached your destination;
Your Heavenly Life will now begin.
I will not say good-bye, forever;
I will merely say good-bye, for now.


I love you,
Jenni

Prayers, Again

We received a phone call Thursday afternoon from our Mom telling us that her sister, Auntie H, had collapsed of a heart attack. Since then, we have been waiting by the phone for instructions on when to leave to travel north. My Aunt has a bad heart and has had several surgeries in the past. This time it doesn't appear that a surgery is going to fix things, though. When she collapsed Thursday, CPR was started immediately then the Paramedics hit her with the paddles three times before transporting her to the hospital. She is currently attached to a breathing machine and it non-responsive to all of the brain wave tests. My Uncle and cousins were to meet with the Doctor this morning for him to advise them on how to proceed. Auntie H. has a living will; however, there is a MI state law that requires the family to wait for a certain amount of time before disconnecting life support. At this point, we do not know when the life support will be disconnected or how long Auntie H will survive without it. So, we are just waiting.

This is all too scary for me. Auntie H isn't that much older than my mom or Bub's parents. I try real hard not to think about the reality that they won't be with us forever. The logical part of me knows that all of us will pass on and we have no control over when this will happen. But the non-logical part of me hopes we can stay together on this earth forever.

I am feeling comforted right now by knowing that Auntie H will soon be in a better place, if she isn't already. She will be filled with love and happiness and all of her pain will go away. I should not wish for her to stay here with me; that is selfish. I need to find joy in the fact that she is going to be reunited with all of her loved ones that have passed before her. She will be able to hug Papaw, Mamaw, Uncle John, Aunt Bonnie, Granny, Pop, Carol, Frank and all the other people that meant so much to her throughout her life.

I guess the prayer that I would ask all of you to make, would be one for strength and comfort for Uncle C, Thom and Beth, Bindy and Bob, Dawn and Scott, Will and Casey, Dylan and Laura, Mom and Aunt Shash, and the rest of us that love Auntie H.