Category Archives: Family
Observing Grief (XII)
I talked to my mom today.Â? The “Celebration of Life” went well and she sent me some scans of the pages, including a poem that my cousin Sari wrote and gave at the service.Â? The picture of my Opa on the cover is bringing me to tears because it’s a reminder that he is indeed gone.
I’m wishing that I could have gone to the service on Saturday but I kind of had to choose one or the other and Oregon will be when the whole family gets together, so I chose that.Â? It’s still just really breaking me up now because now I have reminders that my grandfather has passed and it’s not just something distant.
I knew the tears would come — I just didn’t know when.
Observing Grief (XI)
The “Celebration of Life” for my grandfather was this afternoon in Mt. Vernon and the fact that it’s happening has been making me weepy for a couple days.Â? I’m chill with him being in a better place and all that — it’s just that having the CoL (which is the Episcopalian euphemism for a “funeral”) is a reminder that he *IS* dead and no matter how much I believe in everlasting life, I still am gonna miss him.
So… to deal with my grief, I did this. Â? I’ll be at my grandfather’s burial in June — I think that will be my healing point.Â? Meanwhile, it’s going to be somewhat comforting to know that a kid in Kalispell is going to be getting a comfort blankie because a 26 year old chica wanted to do something meaningful to remember her Opa.
Observing Grief (X)
Well… the memorial plans for my grandfather have been set.
May 20th: Memorial service in Mt. Vernon for the people in the community and in their church
June 10th: Family service and internment of ashes in family cemetery in Oregon.
Jon and I are going to fly out on the 8th and stay with some former neighbors of mine in Salem and then will head south to Albany on the 9th.Â? We fly back to Montana on the 12th.Â? It’s going to be the first real vacation we’ve had in probably a year and a half.
I’ve gotten to the point where I can actually say “my grandfather passed away” without twinges of grief.Â? It might be that I went through the 5 stages awhile ago or something but this hasn’t been hard to grieve.
Observing Grief (IX)
When I was in Washington in March, my mom and I were talking about poetry and what we would read at my grandfather’s funeral. This is one that she suggested and I just found it on the Internet.
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, â???? and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of â???? wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew â????
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
–John Gillespie Magee, Jr (a RCAF officer killed in WWII)
My grandfather was a Navy pilot in WWII, flew with United Airlines, and used to take my brother and I up in his plane when we were little. Believe me, this fits well.