I keep thinking I’ve cried about enough and then someone says something nice, or I catch the eye of another member of the family and I’m crying all over again. Then again, we did difficult things today – went to the funeral home and saw the body in a coffin. I really didn’t want to do it, but there was also no way I was letting my mother do it without at least two of us with her – I know that D her husband and my father in everything but genetics would look after her, but I was also rather worried about who would look after him. Rewind to yesterday and I threw a wobbly about the idea of them going on their own, and called in the big guns in shape of K who stopped that plan from happening.

Which all meant that I had to go this morning. In the end, what with dns issues with a domain I’d forgotten to renew (can’t think how *that* happened right now!) I was running late, but mother was running later, so we didn’t go til after lunchtime. I don’t know how long we spent there, probably not long but certainly long enough. I said my goodbyes last week in the hospital when she was lying in a bed looking like she’d just fallen asleep (the temptation to shake her hard and tell her to stop messing about was quite difficult to resist) and I didn’t have anything to say today. I didn’t have anything to put in the coffin, no letters to write, no gifts to give, so all I had to do was hold ppl who were falling apart.

I was right in thinking it was going to hit my mother hard. When we got back to J’s she took one of the tablets they gave her last week in the hospital – her own doctor said she should hang onto them and take them in need. I stuck to paracetamol myself, I just have this on and off lingering headache.

So I spent another day at J’s house, this time quite bizarrely without her as she was out at a wedding that they were photographing. This meant I could keep myself occupied making pots of tea without worrying whether I was doing it wrong, at least until Princess’s dad got there (hm, going to have to come up with a name for him, he’s going to feature a fair bit I suspect from now on) and took over as it’s always his job.

I feel for him. He’s lost when his kids aren’t there, and everyone else wants them too, they are a part of Katrin that we can hang onto. Princess in particular looks so much look her, and strops just like her too. Much like Small as well, Katrin and I had talked about it just a few weeks ago.

These blog posts aren’t getting any more coherent are they? I’ll jot in a few more notes that I want to remember then go and ramble by myself in a corner, don’t feel you need to carry on reading. Scott scored his first goal in a football tournament today, and grandad was there to see him. Princess managed to have a nose bleed – suspicion is that she picked it til it bled! She also got a new pair of shoes out of her non maternal aunt, plus a new set of reward charts. Hohum. I’m hoping they are all coming over tomorrow.

Big and Small spent yesterday with Tim and L, and a good day was had by all. Big didn’t ask to go with me today, don’t think she liked the sound of it one little bit. And I got home to be met by a dissolving Small who has suddenly realised that not being able to read is stopping him doing things. Not sure whether this will overcome his reluctance to try to read, but if he’s still up for it tomorrow I’ll take him down to school and borrow the sandpaper letters and take them back Monday morning if necessary, if this is the moment we will seize it. Or we’ll make him a salt tray, or draw them in the garden, whatever it takes. Wonder if making them in plasticine would work for him? They’ve started work on a slightly derivative story about a superhero, hope that that continues too!

Oh, and what was that all about with Doctor Who??!

Comments

18 responses to “too many tears”

  1. hugs, hugs and more hugs,

  2. When i was going through all that stuff two years ago, i wrote a blog that was private to just me, writing out all the terrible pain and grief and everything else that was consuming me, all the confusion of feeling and things i felt bad for thinking. Mixed in with it all was lots of calm and rational stuff and lots of happenings.I think only 1 person ever read most of it.
    Much of that time is a complete blank to me, i just don’t remember it because the pain was so terrible but, although i don’t read it over routinely, occasionally i find it helpful to go back on and i’m extremely glad i wrote it. Sometimes it triggers me to cry when i need to, sometimes it is a relief to have something concrete that i can look back on an see that i was thinking and hurting and feeling – and that i did very normal grief processes through that time.
    It helps to look back and know i reacted normally, even though at the time it seemed like it couldn’t be normal – and even though i don’t remember most of it. Sometimes i have guilt that i didn’t “do” the right things at the time – but then i can look back and think “well, yes, i did” actually.
    What i’m trying to convey is that i personally think that to keep quite detailed records of your thought processes just now will be very valuable to your healing process over the rest of your life – and will help you to feel at peace and completed at some point in the future. Just get it all out somewhere that you can have as a record and validation of your grief and love and willingness to be there for people – it will help.
    Hugs. You know where i am.

  3. I remember that urge to hit him as he lay there, to shake him awake and tell him he was being a selfish arse etc and then feeling horribly guilty afterwards when I couldn’t even reach out to touch him.
    Merry’s right. I wish I’d written down and remembered more of what happened as a result of my brother’s death, even if I was the only one who ever read it. I know there were numb patches, I know we laughed and we cried and we remembered. I remember tidying up and literally feeling the wall hitting my back and I slid down it to sit on the floor and sob. Just a moment in amongst the grief.
    But, this is your time to grieve in whatever way you are able and to remember in any way you see fit.
    I’m still reading, still sending hugs and virtual support as best I can. Still thinking of you.

  4. Oh and Dr Who? The rumours are many and varied, I can expand if needed….

  5. nope, no spoilers required, I can google if curiousity overcomes me!
    I kissed her forehead and held her hand last week – couldn’t touch her today and don’t feel the slightest regret or guilt about it and doubt I will. Those are not the regrets I have, my regrets are for the distance between those of us struggling to work out how we move on.

  6. (((Jax))) still thinking of you here too, and who cares how long it is before your thoughts are coherent? like the other Sarah said, it is your time to grieve how you need to.

  7. t-bird anni avatar
    t-bird anni

    more hugs from all of us here too. And yes, blog it all, even if you feel you need to keep it a private post not for us to see, but put it all down somewhere, it does help.
    Oh, and fingers crossed with Small and reading! (not saying anything about Dr Who…..)

  8. Too many Sarahs! Got very confused in the middle of this. Gravatar, maybe?

  9. Other Sarah avatar
    Other Sarah

    There, I shall rename myself for you!

  10. Henceforth thou shalt ever be known as … (fanfare) ♫ ♪ … “Other Sarah”.

  11. right, I need a lot of comments now to fix my comments rss…

  12. Other Sarah avatar
    Other Sarah

    A comment just for your RSS……

  13. Other Sarah avatar
    Other Sarah

    How many is “a lot”?

  14. I made a gravatar the other day – and i’m wondering why it doesn’t show…

  15. Oooh! And now it does!

  16. sage seems to be coping again now 🙂

  17. Other Sarah avatar
    Other Sarah

    I seem to have a gravatar account already, thanks for the reminder, glad Sage is ok again…

  18. Your posts on the subject are quite coherent for anyone who has been through similar. Very tangible.

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