Amanda spent Sunday and Monday with us. We had many friends come by on Sunday which was comforting but hard - seems like I cried over and over all day. They brought lots of food which came in handy throughout the week. Amanda, Ron and I ate the roast beef dinner that Susan Mosley brought over - it was so delicious. It was like old times - just the 3 of us.
Amanda was so much help on Monday - helping me run errands related to Mom's passing and getting things ready for the week. We spent some time at Mom's house and had lunch at Dairy Queen. After working her tail off, she went back to Overland Park around 3:30 p.m. so she could have dinner with Chad and the kids before getting the kids off to bed. A big shout out to Chad for keeping things going at home while Amanda spent time in Clinton several times during the week, and especially Monday and Tuesday. He was Mr. Mom for sure and did a great job - thank you Chad!
Tuesday was the first day I had by myself since Mom had been gone - it was lonely. I have spent many hours with Mom each and every day for the past four years and pretty much 24/7 for the past four months since she lived with us. I miss her. Even before Daddy passed away, I spent several hours a day at their house pretty much every day. There is a large void in my life right now.
Joe came to Clinton late Tuesday evening and was so helpful to Ron and me on Wednesday. He worked his tail off helping us move things up and down the stairs at Grandma's house, getting things for the already planned garage sale. He made numerous trips to donate things to the Samaritan Center and to take things to recycling. We had a good day visiting with him as we worked. We had lunch at McDonald's, and he joined us at our house for dinner - Pizza Glen. Amanda, Chad and the kids arrived in time for Pizza Glen too - we had a good meal and visit.
Mark, Mary and Tom came back to Clinton very late on Wednesday evening, as Mark had to go to Chicago for work. The entire family met at Vansant-Mills Funeral Home at 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2015 - the day of Mom's funeral - to say our final, family, private good-byes to Mom. She looked at peace, and it was nice to gather as a family to tell her how much we loved her.
We gathered at our house around 11 a.m. to have a quick bite to eat before going to the graveside funeral for Mom at Engelwood Cemetery at 1 p.m. David Mills, a family friend a minister, did a fantastic job capturing "Mom" at the service, and How Great Thou Art - Mom's favorite - was played (David and I had pre-recorded singing it). Many family and friends gathered to honor Mom - she would have been pleased. It had rained in the morning, but right around 1 p.m., the sun came out, and there was a nice breeze. It was a beautiful day to honor a beautiful lady.
After the funeral, our friends, Debbie and Dennis Sieger, David and Deb Mills, Lisa and Dan Wallace, Mary and Howard Cupp and Bonnie and Charlie Townsend, along with Joe Moritz, prepared and served a delicious family meal for us at the United Methodist Church.
On Friday, we gathered at 810 to start the daunting task of getting things ready for the garage sale and getting the house ready to sell sometime soon. We worked until around noon, then we all gathered at our house for lunch. Amanda and the boys went back to 810 to get the boys' trucks loaded and ready to return to St. Louis. Mark and Mary and Ron and me met with the Thrivent representative to settle Mom's estate at 1 p.m. then went to the bank to cash in her CD's around 3 p.m. Mom was so happy she had some money to leave to her kids and that she did not have to use it to go to the nursing home - that was very important to her. She and Daddy saved and did without so they would have something to leave to us - so sweet.
On Saturday, all those left (everyone but Joe and Tom), met again at 810 around 8:30 a.m. for more of the same until about 12:30 p.m. at which time we gathered again at our house to have another family meal before Mark and Mary left Clinton. We had a sad week, but it was nice to have lots of family time.
When the kids took a nap, Amanda and I went back to 810 to tie up some loose ends, then we all went to El Camino Real for a Mexican supper which was tasty. The kids came home with us - then we hid and hunted Easter eggs - and Amanda and Chad went back to 810 to work for an hour or so cleaning up more and carrying things up the steps. Earlier in the day, the kids, Amanda and I had dyed Easter eggs, and I had hid and they hunted plastic eggs in the house. Ron and I gave them their Easter baskets from us which included membership to the Royals Blue Crew - hat, t-shirt, sunglasses, lanyard and two tickets to a Royals game in 2015! They had fun with their baskets.
Sunday morning, the kids awoke to a delivery from the Easter Bunny! They were excited. We all went to church, then when we came home they hunted Easter eggs outside the Easter bunny had hidden. They loaded up and went to Lexington to celebrate Easter with Chad's family - we miss them terribly. I am having Amanda withdrawals, as between vacation, Grandma being sick, and then her passing, we have been together numerous days in the past three weeks. I miss her terribly already.
Ron and I spent the day getting our house back in order after 3 weeks of less than normal happenings around our house. We also hung some pictures we brought home to enjoy from Mom's house and putting things away. Mom would be so happy that Mark and family and me and my family will be enjoying many of the things she and Daddy had collected or acquired during their 60 plus years of marriage. The "things" mean so much more to me now than they did two weeks ago even. We went over to 810 for a couple of hours in the afternoon to move more things downstairs from upstairs and just straighten up a bit. Apollo - who is staying with us for awhile - went and enjoyed running in the back yard. Nothing had been stolen off the back porch - I was happy about that. I dug up some hens and chickens to bring home to add to the peonies we had dug up yesterday and planted in the back yard. Mom would really be happy about that. She had already talked to me about transplanting peonies from her yard this year. Who knew she wouldn't be around to help me.
I feel like I'm having empty nest syndrome all over again with Mom now gone. We had spent so much time together - it will be an adjustment. But, I know she is where she needs to be due to her heart attack and poor health - I didn't want her to suffer and to be in pain, and she was ready to go to be with the Lord and with Daddy. Mom - I couldn't have possibly loved you more, and you couldn't have possibly been a better mother to me and to Mark. We love you and miss you.
Ron is off on Monday and Tuesday, so we will get more done both here and at 810 those two days. It seems like a never-ending job, but we will get it done.
Happy Easter - The Lord is Risen - we are blessed.
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