Famous Last Words: A Difficult Week

Hello again! This is only my second time doing "Famous Last Words," so I'll reiterate the basic idea: the following will be a reflection on how my week has gone, along with what I anticipate for the upcoming week.

This week was a difficult one for me in a lot of ways. My great-grandfather was placed on hospice care following a medical emergency, and he unfortunately passed away on Friday night. Emotionally, of course, it's been difficult for me -- not only managing the grief, but also the fact that I live so far from my family, so I was unable to be with them during this difficult time. I am hoping to be able to go home for the funeral this upcoming week, but I do have an exam on the same day and at the same time, so I am hoping my professor will allow me to take it early or make it up later. The drive home is about twelve hours, so it will be a fairly stressful week, as I'll need to drive home Wednesday and drive back to Oklahoma either Friday or Saturday, in addition to two exams, at least one quiz, and a paper, among other things.

Still, despite the sadness of losing my grandfather and the stress of everything else, I do feel a sense of peace. Like me, my grandfather was a Christian, and I am confident that he is now reunited with Jesus, with my great grandmother, and with other loved ones. In fact, over the last few weeks/months, he told both my grandmother and my aunt that he felt ready to go whenever God called him, despite then being in excellent health. Since his wife died several years ago, he actually had gotten a girlfriend at his retirement community, who was a wonderful woman. She had dementia, and she had been relying on his care for some time. In completely unrelated circumstances, she passed away the day he went to the hospital, about a week before he did. I believe that was a blessing from God, calling them home together, so that neither had to deal with the grief of losing the other.

Anyways, I know this post was a bit of a downer, but I just wanted to take a moment and reflect on how grateful I am for the people I've been blessed to have in my life. I'll miss my grandfather dearly, but my life is better for having had him in it.

Sunrise over Wainui Beach, from pxhere

Famous Last Words: A Clean Home and a Peaceful Mind

This summer was a lovely one for me - we were living in Maryland for my husband, Alan's, internship at NASA, which left me with very little in the way of time commitments. I did babysit for the neighbors a few times a week for most of the summer, which kept me somewhat busy, but mostly I was able to take the first legitimate, relaxing break I've had in who knows how long. It really was fantastic - the couple we were staying with dropped by usually at least once a week to kidnap me and take me on some fun excursion, and I had time to read for fun for what feels like the first time in years!
Getting back here to Oklahoma was pretty hectic, though - our car broke down in Tennessee and we ended up stranded there with some friends of friends until my father-in-law could come save us, then we had to find a new vehicle in the two days we had left before classes and work started back up, so there was a lot of stress as the semester began. Since then we've been trying to find time to finish unpacking and finally feel like we've settled back into our lives here.
So, this week has finally been an accomplishment in that regard! Today, my husband and I spent half the day just unpacking, cleaning, and generally de-cluttering our home, and I feel like a new me. It's amazing how much of a difference it makes to live in a well-organized environment, isn't it? It got me thinking about some of the things we've been talking about in this class, as far as setting ourselves up for success. We've talked a little bit about being in a good mindset, and I was just marveling at how much I feel like my mindset changes when I feel comfortable and homey in the place where I spend most of my time. It does so much for me to be able to have a little haven to return to at the end of the day, where I can just feel peaceful, and a clean apartment is a huge part of that. I'm looking forward to a much more organized week!

Cleaning Bucket