Oma's Gone

I cannot believe that it is September 10. 9:21 pm in fact. Of course the saying, 'time waits for no man' surely means just what it says and it also includes women. I could go back and tell you all that's happened thus far this year, but I will spare you that. Suffice it to say, it's been a challenging and interesting and the Lord has been with me through it all.

As many of you know, my mother-in-law Oma, died on August 24. She was 86 and had fallen 6 days prior. That fall led to a surgery and time in ICU. They were expecting to move her the day after she died, she was doing so well. But God had other plans and she died with my husband in the room, getting her a drink of water.

We've spent the days since doing the things she wanted done. We  knew her wishes for her funeral, and carried them out. After a one day viewing here, she was taken back to Kentucky to be buried beside her husband in the country she loved so very much. I couldn't make the trip with my husband and son, so I began the task of clearing out her closets while they were gone.

One thing I can say for her, she LOVED clothes. Very much. I boxed 4 good-sized boxes (do they come in bad sizes?) for donation to the Salvation Army. This organization has rightly earned its name more than once during this process. They have saved us more times than I can count by taking things no one else could use. One person asked "why don't you have a yard sale"? No thank you. I've done that and once was enough for me. I'd rather donate.

Once my husband and son got home, we resumed the job of finding folks who could use some of her things, helped them load their vehicles and we finished this past Sunday. We vacuumed the apartment, turned off all the lights, locked the doors, and left. For the very last time, we left. And we knew that she was really gone.

Companies have been called and death certificates given to those needing them. We still have some of her things at our home; things that need to be carefully gone through, sorted and a decision made as to where they should go. We can do that at our leisure though and for that I am thankful.

Today has been spent inside because it's difficult for me to breathe in this hot, humid weather. I've been making out the cards to send to those who visited the funeral home. I remember doing them when my father-in-law died 14 years ago.