Chapter 394 Checking In

I want to thank you for the comments and emails wondering why it’s been six long days since I last posted. Last week was a whirlwind with the kids home from school for Easter vacation, my summons to jury duty (from which I ended up being excused), and the wake of and funeral for one of Thoughtful Husband’s aunts. Thoughtful Husband’s mother was one of eight children, seven girls and one boy. Sadly, of the eight children, only two are left, and one happens to be my mother-in-law. The loss of one of the last surviving sisters this past week was a tough one for her especially, but I am happy to say that she is well and that she says she intends to be here until she’s 100.

My original intent was to start posting again today, but a few other sad events will preclude any posts for the next couple of days. One of our dear neighbors passed away last Thursday. Our street is a nice mix of people who have lived here 50 years and young families. The neighbor who died had known Thoughtful Husband since Thoughtful Husband was only a boy of three years old. He lived a long life, dying at the age of 92 at home with his wife by his side. We are still waiting to hear when a funeral will take place.

Finally, and perhaps most upsetting, is the loss of one of Tom and Huck’s schoolmates, age 11, who died in an accident last week during the Easter break. While the boys are returning to school tomorrow, the school has planned several memorial events on Monday and Wednesday and asked all school families to attend and show their support for the family whose child left this earth much much too early. I will, of course, be at school with the kids on those days instead of working here at home. And when I am at home, I will be hugging my kids a little bit tighter and a little bit longer and just watching them and appreciating them more than ever. I’d say more, because there’s a lot on my mind, but I think words only trivialize losses such as this one, so I’m going to leave it at that.

I am so sorry to tell you all of this sad news, because I generally like to keep the blog a place for things I enjoy. But I want you to know that me and mine are fine, that there are good reasons why I haven’t posted recently, and that I may not get much chance to post this week. I will post as I can and I am hoping for a return to regular posting by Wednesday or Thursday. Thank you so much for understanding. Back with some happier news soon, I hope.