Sadness

My dad called me this morning at 8, but my phone was downstairs. I came down for breakfast and got another call at 8:30am. It seemed strange to be getting a call so early in the morning, but I didn't think much of it really. My dad said that my grandpa (his dad) has died this morning. He had turned 90 in June and was one of the reasons we went to Kansas this summer. It had been so good to see him. He knew who we were, could converse a little with us, and boy, could he give a hug and a handshake! My dad had told me earlier in the week that Grandpa was not swallowing very well and his one hand seemed to have atrophied some. We wondered if he had been having mini strokes. (He had a pretty major stroke last year maybe February sometime, while we were still in Colorado. He was now in a nursing home.) Then, Hospice came in to evaluate him this week. Hospice called my aunt to let her know he wasn't breathing very well on Friday night (I think), and before she could get there, he had passed away. It sounds very peaceful, and he had lived a wonderful life.

What does this mean? This means I (and my family minus most, if not all, of the in-laws) am headed to Kansas this afternoon. My parents are picking me up and I am helping them drive since my dad's back doesn't make him a very long relief driver for my mom. It also means I am scrabbling to get my stuff ready for a sub to take over this first week of school. I had a lot of things done, but that was for me ... not for someone else to understand and go with. I will probably be gone through Wednesday or Thursday - it depends on the day of the funeral. I will come home with my brothers while my parents wrap things up. Please, pray for travel mercies for not only us but some of my cousins coming from a distance as well. It will be a time of rejoicing because my grandpa was a child of God and is finally home. But that doesn't always mean no tears either. Pray for strength for my dad and his siblings (see pic up top) as they make arrangements, and for my grandpa's second wife, Linda, who God blessed him with. Finally, I am sure my sub will need prayer as s/he helps many students transition back to their first week of school. Thanks for you prayers.