Funny the World...

I GOTTA GET A NEW HOBBY

April 4, 2000

A very busy day, which began with my Monday morning with Priscilla and Mary. Priscilla has been concerned with the state of the world and asks, as so many others have, "why can’t we all just get along?" I worry about her. She has new pains. Her leg is paining her and she’s afraid that the doctor will insist on more chemotherapy. She remains upbeat and hopeful. "I’m going to beat this thing, girl!" We ran some errands after her doctor’s appointment and she insisted on giving me a couple of dollars for gas.

Walt came home from work at noon and we headed down to Milpitas, about an hour and a half drive, for the funeral. Such a tragic death. Everyone is still in shock, a sensation we understand far too well. As funerals go, it was fine. It made me realize once again that there was no way I could have handled either David’s or Paul’s funerals had their bodies been in coffins. It’s difficult to relate to a little box of ashes as something that was once your beloved child. It makes it easier, somehow.

The funeral also brought out cultural differences in the way we handle death. The deceased had been married to a woman from the Philippines and after the services, his mother was telling me that his widow was having a very difficult time with the concept of an Irish wake. In fact, she left the funeral in the middle of the services and we did not see her at all, as she remained in her room while the rest of us had the traditional funeral ham (did you know that "ham" seems to be what you bring to a grieving family?) and accoutrements. It must be very lonely to grieve alone. As painful as death is, what brings comfort is being surrounded by people who care about you. You put a plate of gnoshes up against the wall and you talk, cry, laugh, and life takes on a feeling, for a brief moment, of "normal," until the company goes home and you remember that there is a hole in your world that will never be filled again. Nothing makes it "better," but being surrounded by people who care does indeed help.

Since the funeral was smack dab in the middle of Silicon Valley, we expected a horrendous commute home, but apparently chose the right time and were able to avoid most of rush hour traffic.

A quiet evening at home getting caught up on the e-mail which arrived during the day and trying out Shutterfly.com, a site which will print your digital photos for a reasonable price. I've sent in 8 photos from AQ&D and we’ll see how they come out.

Buddy learned how to use the dog door today. He seems to have learned it pretty effortlessly. I think we’ve agreed that he is a keeper, this little wiggle-butt.

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created 4/4/00 by Bev Sykes