I’ve been meaning to recap the weekend, so here goes.
We got to Florida in two days, having decided to stop in Commerce, GA, about halfway down. We ran into issues with Hallie not wanting to sleep in her own bed there, but soon resolved them.
The trip was made longer than the usual twelve hours by Travis needing to nurse frequently. After several stops, we finally made it to Panama City, arriving there with barely enough time to unpack, change, and make it to the viewing by way of Grandma’s house.
As I walked in her familiar house, there were dozens of relatives and friends there, snacking and catching up. I said hello to my uncles and aunts there and looked over at my Uncle Bill. This man who is never at a loss for words sat expressionless in a chair until my saying hello broke him out of his spell. Grandma’s death really sank in for me when I saw the sadness in his eyes.
The next few hours were a whirlwind. Everyone acted spacey, distracted by their grief. Its like we were all in our own little worlds, alone in our thoughts.
I stood in the doorway of Grandma’s kitchen while her friends and family chatted and ate. Once, a church volunteers said “oh yeah” to someone else and for a split second it sounded just like Grandma. I looked up half expecting to see her before reality sank in again.
The house emptied out as the time for viewing approached. My Aunt Nancy handed me the house keys as Kelly and I scrambled to eat before heading over. The house was quiet and empty for a moment. I didn’t like hanging around and suggested we take our snacks on the road.
We showed up a half-hour late, thanks to my getting lost. My brother Allen and his wife Tanya were already shuffling their kids off to bed. We had time to say hello before they left. Kelly showed Travis off while I said hello to folks I hadn’t seen in a while.
After chatting a bit, I stepped into the parlor where Grandma’s body lay. Among the flowers was a picture of her taken during her trip to Ireland this year. It’s a wonderful picture where she’s bundled up, a gleam in her eye. It was a great reminder of who she was.
We left when the kids began to get cranky and made it an early night in our condo.
On Sunday, we woke to some surly clouds gathering on the horizon. Travis had a long stretch of sleep, so we were feeling better rested. We spent the morning reading the paper and getting ready for the service.
I stepped out to get a paper and wound up spending some time chatting with my mother on the balcony overlooking the Gulf. It was nice to talk with her, since I was needing my mommy at that moment.
The morning soon turned into afternoon, and once again we were scrambling to keep up. This time, we made it mostly on time to Grandma’s house, where everyone was again eating and visiting.
To be continued…