Sudden Loss

 

I've spent so much time away from home and blogging that I was so happy to return last month, hoping to spend more time keeping up with the house and posting to this blog.  Unfortunately, after being home only a few days, we were called to respond to a family emergency and had to leave town.  Hence, my return to blogging and then sudden absence. 

My brother in law's health had been seriously challenged over much of the last decade.  I spent weeks at his home, cleaning up years of accumulated belongings.  At that point, he'd been struggling with serious infections that were a result of diabetes.  He ended up losing his foot, having a below the knee amputation.  I stayed with him when he came home from the hospital and we worked together to achieve sufficient function for him to return to work (from home, of course).  While I don't want to go into what he did for a living, he was instrumental in New York State's fight against COVID.  We are so lucky our state had a good plan in place, as his family was able to be by his side at the end.  He received stellar care from a team of amazing nurses and doctors.  None of this would have been possible if we were in a state/town with an over-burdened hospital system.

My brother in law is now in peace and while I am a "non" when it comes to religion, I am grateful for the religious ceremony.  The Deacon and Father of the church were so comforting and understanding and we really did achieve a sense of closure.  This was devastating for  my husband and particularly difficult for me as well.  But all in all, we were happy to have it progress quickly without undue suffering.

I'll be taking chunks of time away as we deal with the estate.  There is a lot to be done, and although we live six hours away, we want to share the burden equally with the rest of the siblings.  Frank was a good brother to me.  He had many friends and colleagues who appreciated and respected him.  At 61, he was far too young to die.   All this has made me realize that we need to eat and exercise more responsibly.  We want to have many more healthy years in front of us, and it's just sad that my brother in law won't be part of it all.