The past 4 weeks of have been INSANE! So, please excuse the month long hiatus! Probably the best way to give you a complete picture of what has taken place is to detail the events in more of a "time line/outline" fashion rather than paragraph form. Because these events have happened over a month's span, I will break this "documentation" into 2 parts. So, without futher ado, I present to you Part 1 of "For Crying Out Loud!"
WARNING: Content is not for the weak-stomach. So you can better understand (maybe) my thoughts and actions, I will attempt to paint a very vivid picture of the events that actually took place and how I felt about them at the time. Remember, I am telling the cold, hard, gross details of my "story" and letting you get a full view of this real, imPERFECT, "Pastor's" Wife!
Friday, September 13th: I was asked to substitute for the first time at the elementary school where my 2 oldest children attend. (I just signed up to sub this year) It was a good day seeing as how it was only a half day! After school, I loaded up my 3 kiddos, and we headed north about 2 hours to visit my grandmother who is in the nursing home suffering from dementia/alzheimer's disease....whichever disease you want to call it.....both BRUTAL to watch a loved one suffer through. September 13, 2013 was my Granny's 81st birthday. She is and will always be "MY Granny," and I will write a post about her soon. There are things worse than death, and this wretched disease is one of them! Sorry...off on a rabbit trail....back on course.
Just after I had gotten my children in bed at my parent's home, around 9:00 p.m. that night, my mother-in-law called to say that her mother-in-law, my husband's grandmother, OUR Mommaw had possibly had a terrible stroke, and she was on the way to the ER in Meridian, MS. Devastating news! Mommaw?!?! Wait, something is terribly wrong here!!! She is/was healthy! She had been making sugar cookies and pimento cheese sandwhiches all day for her grandaughter's open house! She was at water aerobics on Thursday!!! This can't be happening!!! Lord, we've been begging for your mercy for Granny!! She's ready to go! Why Mommaw??!! Then, at midnight the news came that she was going quickly and that we should probably go see her if we wanted to see her alive again, although she was already unconscious. So, my brother-in-law, who happend to be visiting his in-laws in a nearby town, and I drove to Meridian, MS, to say our final "good-byes". My husband was able to meet us there, too. It was an early morning filled with heartache and much grieving. We were all exhausted emotionally and physically. My brother-in-law and I left the hospital around 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 19th, and that was the last time I was able to see Mommaw's earthly body.
Sunday, September 15th: The children and I drove from my parent's home to arrive at our church by 11:00 a.m. for our morning worship service so that we could rejoice in the baptism of 2 very dear friends. My husband preached that morning, and then went back to Mississippi to be with his grandmother. My mom drove to my house to spend the night so that she could attend Grandparent's day with my 2 big kids at school the next day.
Monday, September 16th: We attended Grandparent's Day, and then my mom went with me to my in-laws home to help me get funeral clothes for them. They live about 30 minutes from my house. On the way back home, the school nurse called me, and my oldest son Garrett was covered in a rash from head to toe. He was having a severe allergic reaction to the outside world! He had played in the mud and grass on Sunday afternoon with some friends. So, I spent my afternoon at the allergist office trying to get him "straightened out." My mother had to go home, but thankfully, a friend was able to help keep my other 2 children so I didn't have to "wrangle" them in the doctor's office! Garrett had to miss his first fall baseball game that night, and he was disappointed.
Tuesday, September 17th: I'm exhausted from the weekend and Monday with Garrett and being a single mom! So, my van starts making a weird noise! My husband is still out of town, and at this point, I'm thinking I'm going to have to travel 4 hours with 3 kids alone to a funeral. So, I have my 1st break-down, emotionally! I call my husband crying, and we get in a "little" fight over the phone. He's exhausted, I'm exhausted, he's stressed, I'm stressed, his grandmother is dying, I'm wanting to grieve the loss of her, but I give up being able to at this point because I'm handling the house and children. Not a good combination, to say the least!!!! We both say hurtful things that we don't mean. I'm angry, not necessarily at him, but just at the whole picture. Again, this SHOULD NOT be Mommaw!!!! This should be Granny! We finally are able to communicate like adults. I'll admit I'm the one who was acting more childish. I apologized, and so did he. I was able to get someone to take me to drop the van off for repair, and my husband decided to come on home because it was looking like Mommaw might linger a few more days. So, he was able to help Tuesday afternoon. Thankfully, after all of the hassle, the repair shop was not able to find anything wrong with the van. Of course, it wouldn't act up for my husband either. And, so far, it hasn't messed up again. I'm not sure why all that happened, but if it was a test of my attitude under stress and pressure, I failed miserably!
Wednesday, September 18th: Mommaw entered the presence of our LORD, and she began worshipping at His feet. She was a Mighty Woman of God, and she too will have a post dedicated to her memory and legacy soon.
Thursday, September 19th: We traveled to Mississippi to have some time with family before the funeral.
Saturday, September 21st: Funeral Day. Our middle child, Hannah, woke up vomiting at 5:00 a.m. She threw up every 20 minutes for two and half hours. My parents drove to Mississippi to stay with her so I could attend the funeral. I was unable to attend any of the visitation prior to the funeral. The casket was closed after the family had their time before the visitation began per Mommaw's request...which I like. However, the last picture I have of Mommaw was of her in the hospital bed, after suffering a stroke. Yes, there are wonderful pictures of her, and I have those memories of her and will forever. But, I do wish I had gotten to see her one last time in her "funeral dress".....not dying in the hospital bed. I know that the body in the casket is just that - a body - a shell - that our Mommaw was/is acutally in heaven. But, I do think there's something about seeing a person "one last time" that gives closure. I still haven't had "the big one" over the loss of Mommaw. I haven't had time to have an ugly, emotional breakdown over her loss alone. My life "drama" hasn't allowed it. I've had several breakdowns over the course of the past few weeks, but they have had to be shared with other crises going on at the moment!
Sunday, September 22nd: Our oldest child was supposed to be baptized, and we were supposed to finally celebrate baby boy's 2nd birthday. However, we postponed the baptism because my husband was not going to be preaching since he had been out with Mommaw's funeral. We cancelled the party because Hannah had been sick, and we didn't want to expose the world.
Monday, September 23rd: That morning, I rescheduled the birthday party for Tuesday evening. By the afternoon, "baby" boy was vomiting - for about 4 hours. Cancelled birthday party.
Tuesday, September 24th: Since everyone was "better", we got pizza and had birthday cake for "baby" boy since I had already paid for a cake that was going to ruin.....only with our immediate family. By Tuesday afternoon, 4 more of my husband's extended family had the stomach virus, so we didn't want to risk passing on this soon-to-be labeled "curse"!
Wednesday, September 25th: I go down with a VENGENACE after lunch.....the most horrific, brutal experience of life!!!! Five hours on hugging the trash can and lighting up the porcelain! I was praying for the rapture or death! Honestly, I wasn't sure I was going to make it, and traveling to the ER was absolutely out of the question because I couldn't stay off of the throne long enough to make the 30 minute car ride!!!!
Thursday, September 26th: 7:00 a.m. Hannah "Bean" (her nickname) starts vomiting again at breakfast! I begin frantically cleaning....bleach, hospital grade germicide, lysol, more bleach, germ-x, washing EVERY stitch of bedding, clothing, stuffed animal on HOT, more bleach, burning lungs and eyes from bleach, cracked/bleeding hands, so weak I can barely stand, but I HAD to take care of my sick child, wrangle a 2 year old, and CLEAN!!! My hubby was able to handle Wednesday night, but he had obligations that couldn't be postponed on Thursday, so it was ALL me! By 1:00 p.m. I thought I was going to pass out. I was able to rest until the craziness of our after school routine began!
Friday, September 27th: Hannah goes back to school, and I go with her for a walking field trip from the elementary school to a locally owned farmer's market - quite famous in South Alabama! Let's just say I was wiped out by the time we made it back to school. Herding 60 Kindergartners is like herding cats! I was still weak but on the mend.
Okay, this is getting quite lengthy. Two weeks is enough for now! I will take a break, and let you process this. I know it's "ugly" and blunt, but just wait, it get's better!
