Well, it
happened.
That dreaded
event that lurks in the back of the mind
of any expat living far away from
their home country,
like a black cloud just waiting to cover up a sunny day and
swallow it whole.
Fighting evil
cancer for months, we weren’t completely caught off guard when we received word
Ren Man’s mom had been rushed to the hospital.
Away on business at the time, travel options were limited, adding a full
day to the whole process, and two phone calls later she was gone, preventing
him from making it home in time to kiss her good-bye.
When you make
the choice to live so far away from home,
a world quite comfortable with
everything instant, disappears from one’s mindset. Not having any direct
flights from Aberdeen to the U.S.A., we are mentally prepared for being two
flights away from our loved ones.
The additional flight from Baku added even
more stress to this whole grieving process.
I wish I could
tell you we arrived in time to help with planning her ‘celebration of life’.
Unfortunately, I feel like we were only able to
pick up a few loose ends here and there as we watched Ren Man’s sisters
beautifully and heroically make it happen.
While
looking through some of his mom’s notes over the past few months,
they found a
list of what she wanted or didn’t want at her funeral.
Last on the list was ‘no black’.
Her wish was
honored
as brightly dressed friends and family gathered together
surrounded by
sunflowers,
her favorite.
My one regret
is not thanking her for always modeling what a good mother-in-law looks like. Hearing horror stories of
friends, and recently becoming a MIL myself, I am learning just how fragile
this relationship can be
and should be nurtured and treated with care.
Meanwhile…
we are back in
Aberdeen,
acutely aware of God’s healing grace and like the sunflower,
absorbing the sunshine.
Happy Thursday.
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