Death Is Always Hard to Digest

Yesterday, at 7:30 am, my oldest nephew died. I could use a lot of other words - passed, eased, etc. But the fact is that his body finally decided the constant pain of his cancer simply wasn't worth the battle any more. He never regained consciousness, so that was a blessing. The family will gather together for a Celebration of Life towards the end of the month. I'm fairly sure Michael will be cremated, although I can't say for sure about that. I do know that this has hit my nieces and nephews very hard. Hell ... it's hit all of us very hard. 

A photo of Michael in better days. I haven't seen him 
since Christmas 2023, but he was in a lot of pain then, 
and had already aged a decade or more (seemingly) 
since this photo was taken. But this photo was actually 
within the past five years. What a change over time! 

Michael, as the oldest of the kids, was the one that everyone looked to for answers and guidance. Catie, his younger sister, is also the one that the others look to, and now she's the oldest. So much to think of, and so much to do. I'm in the middle of my own whirlwind, and I need to make sure it dovetails with any others in the family that it may impact. 

So much to do, and yet I can't really do anything to 
help Catie and the other kids. I'm a voice at the end of 
the phone if needed, but I'm in that older generation 
that they don't belong to. 

Today DH and I start out with a quick visit to our lawyer. It's a meeting that's been on the schedule for several weeks, so not an "off the cuff" meeting. As I recall, it's dealing with our investments and property to get things like wills, etc, ironed out and written down. Again - something necessary. This afternoon I have an appointment with my orthodontist for some minor work, and I was supposed to get my treadmill fixed today, but the time they had suggested will intersect with the orthodontic appointment, so the treadmill fix has been pushed off yet again. 

In the end we are all leaves caught in the 
whirlwind of life - destined to fly high 
and eventually, come back to the ground, 
our Mother. 

And, of course, I need to make a quick inventory of my food supplies in the refrigerator. I actually think I'm set for the remainder of the week, which would be wonderful and would mean a minimal trip to the grocery store today. Life doesn't stop, even when it seems as if it should. I'm off to the pool. Have a wonderful Wednesday. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.