An End and a Return

Thad passed away on Wednesday September 24. I was there when he took his last breaths, He died here at home where he wanted to be when the time came. His offical time of death was 7:22 PM, but he actually died about 45 minutes earlier. When he died, I had to call Hospice who then had to call the nurse on duty who then had to call me back and ask some questions. Once that was done, she had to change clothes and gather all her needed equipment (computer, paperwork, ect) and then drive the 25 minute trip into town and to my house. She was great once she got here and very sympathic.

Several of our friends came over once they heard about his passing. We sat around before the nurse got here and while she was here telling stories of Thad and laughing. Lynn (the nurse) was having a hard time not falling out of the chair laughing as she filled out the paperwork and listened to our stories. And, we told her, the stories were the 'toned-down' versions of our adventures. And we weren't kidding about that.

We had a visitation on Sunday Sep 28 (which was also my late mother's birthday) and his funeral on Monday Sep 29. Thad was buried in a cemetery 139 miles from where we live, so it was an all day event. A group of us went to Green Pond (the cemetery) and followed that by having a late lunch in a small restaurant in a local town - and by local I mean roughly about 20 miles from the cemetery. But the food at this place (Did I mention it was the back of a gas station?) was low priced, large portions and really good.

I've been spending the time since trying to begin the process of going through things. Not easy when Thad never went through his parents' things when they died. So now I'm going through things that belonged to Thad, his dad and his mom. And a few things that were his grandmother's as well. In a few days, I go back to work. Back to my third shift and days off. I'm not sure what that willbe like. Part of me wants to stay off work for more time, part of me wishes I had been back a long time ago.

One day at a time in every aspect of my life right now.