Thursday morning, I got a call from my good friend Maryann. Her mother had lost her battle with cancer on Wednesday evening. Maryann and I are childhood friends, my oldest friend. We lived one house apart from each other for more than 20 years, and even after I moved off Long Island, we have continued to be good friends. She did my hair for my wedding, I helped her study for History in HS, and she held my hand when Dad was sick. I had to go and hold her hand now. So Friday afternoon, I packed an over night bag and headed "home". It's amazing that I still know the way, the roads all too familiar, even after all these years.
I arrived at 5:30pm, with plenty of time to eat and change before the second viewing. We headed over to the funeral home by 7pm. As I walked through the doors, the fragrance of all the flowers hit me like a Mack truck and a flood of memories came back in a flash. It was a long 2 hours. We headed back to Maryann's house, had another bite to eat, and went to bed at midnight. We had an early morning—we had to be back at the funeral home at 8am for a final viewing and the funeral service at 9:15. It was weird to be at St. Gertrude's. I haven't been in that Church since my dad's funeral 13 years ago. It was exactly the same, nothing had changed.
I hugged Maryann good-bye after the funeral, wishing I could stay longer to go to the burial and funeral reception, but I had to get home to my boys. And I had a 3 and a half hour drive ahead of me. That is a long time to be in a car by yourself with nothing but your thoughts. It was a tough drive home. I came through my front door completely exhausted. I forgot how tiring grieving can be. I was greeted by a sleepy faced Gavin who had just woke up from his nap. He had a big smile for mommy and I was glad to be home. Two hours later, I began to sneeze and my nose began to run. Perfect. Now I'm getting sick.
So today I have a full-blown cold complete with a runny nose, sore throat, cough, sneezes and sinus congestion. I take Ny-Quil and go to bed now.
About Me
- Ali
- Formerly a high-heeled wearing, cell phone slinging, Associate Art Director at a national magazine. Now a snot wiper and poop checker to two boys full-time and Graphic Designer part-time.
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2 comments:
Ali - I am sorry for your loss and yes, grieving is exhausting... probably contributed to you getting sick. I hope you feel better soon. We too had a cancer related death in our extended family (my sister-in-law's sister...lung cancer, age 51), and I am not looking forward to the services this week. Does anyone die of anything else these days...I am SO SICK of CANCER!!!!!!
Sorry to hear you had a rough weekend! Oddly enough you were on my mind a lot this past weekend, and I just read this post. So I must have picked up on your vibes all these miles away. :)
Hope you feel better soon!
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