I never expected the month of May to drain me completely dry, but it did. The first weekend I was in charge of logistics for the memorial service for our former music teacher. Mr. S. had a brain tumor and died of a pulmonary embolism. The memorial was on our school campus. The service was held in one building with seating for 500 and the luncheon in the other with tables and chairs for 100. Running between the two buildings in my high-heeled boots made my feet and legs hurt so much. The day started around 9 o'clock in the morning and we got home about 6 that evening. We were so tired. It took a lot of planning and work, but it was a wonderful event.
The next weekend was Prom. Fortunately the junior class president knew exactly what she wanted for this event so all I had to do was print stuff, pack stuff, and show up as the ticket taker and election board for the King and Queen of Prom. It was a fun night, but again, late and tiring. But the worst was yet to come.
On Friday May 16th, we celebrated my husband's birthday. Our older son and his family came over for dinner and we enjoyed a wonderful evening. I usually call my mother every evening. As I sat down in my recliner, so tired, I thought about not calling. I was almost too tired to talk. The phone was on the table next to me or I swear I would not have called. It rang and went to voice message, and I left a cheerful message, saying I would call again in 30 minutes. It was 8:30 PM. After a beautiful day, it was still sunny outside so I figured she was watering her lawn. I called at 9, no answer. Now I was concerned. I called my brothers to see if by chance she was with one of them and such was not the case. My brother who lived closest said he would go over. The house was locked up tight, so he broke a window next to a side door and let himself inside. He found mother sitting on her kitchen floor, long gone from this world. As far as we could calculate, she died suddenly of a blood clot or aneurysm sometime around 10 in the morning. I was/am devastated. It was so sudden; she had not been dealing with any particular issues other than being 85, almost 86 years old. Looking back, she was prepared. She had told me several things over the past couple of months about what I was to do should anything happen to her. I did exactly what she asked me to do. In addition, I planned the memorial for her for the following Wednesday. I wrote the obits, chose the scripture and hymns, wrote the eulogy, ordered the flowers, contacted the extended family, purchased the food for the after-service gathering, and cleaned out a lot of stuff from her house. She would have been please with what I did. I was exhausted.
The next weekend, Memorial Weekend, my hubby, brothers, and I did a thorough sorting and cleaning at mother's. We found important papers, old photos, our report cards, and such. It was a tough weekend.
The next weekend was the senior trip. Twenty-four of our 36 students and I headed down the Oregon coast to a beautiful beach house for four days and three nights of fun. I cooked every meal. I truly didn't mind; I love cooking for a crowd. Of course that meant I did all the shopping the week before. Once I returned home, I told my husband that I couldn't seem to catch my breath. Such a whirlwind. That was May. June has been just as busy with final exams, new senior culminating seminar meeting, graduation, and our kids arriving next Monday for six weeks. Before they arrive, T will head to TX for his annual check up at MD Anderson, the greatest cancer center in the world. He will miss almost 40 hours with our little ones. Poor guy! We are really anticipating some fun times with our sweet youngest grandkids. We'll have birthday parties, beach trips, camping trips, bike rides... lots of fun. Oh, I'm taking two classes this summer also. Yeah, I'm nuts.
I'm still trying to pull myself together. I finished everything at school and walked out of the classroom with no intention of returning for at least two months. I got through my mother's 86th birthday, cried all day, but survived. I think I will titled this year as the one I survived. It's been grueling!
