Funerals // Vacation

So it's been quite the busy last two months.

I've been to 2 funerals and also been on vacation for 2 weeks.

The first funeral was for Gracie Rifa, a good friend of my family's. She got diagnosed with non-smoking lung cancer only about 2 or so months before she passed. Talk about aggressive, man! :( It ended up spreading to other various parts of her body and she eventually passed. My sister, Jolie, is best friends with Gracie's daughter, Vanessa. Gracie left behind a husband and 2 children, 13 and 15 yrs old. I just can't imagine being that young going through life without one of my parents...

The second funeral was for my Mimi, my mom's mom. The world seriously feels not quite as good of a place, bright or vibrant, anymore. Anyone who knew my Mimi knew that she was completely selfless and NEVER knew a stranger. She talked to anyone like she knew you her entire life. She was only 69 years old. She also died of a lung problem, ending up having pulmonary fibrosis. She passed peacefully though, i'm told. She was never able to meet CJ, which really eats me up. She was, however, able to watch videos and see pictures that i'd send to her. In fact, 2 nights before she passed, my aunt told me that she was able to watch the latest videos i'd sent. Also, I was able to call my Papa's phone and leave a message for her to listen to. She couldn't talk in her last days, but i felt like i really wanted her to be able to know that i loved her and was thinking of her still. Talking or walking would put her completely out of breath. In my head, I have images of her in Heaven breathing normally and walking around looking healthy. That helps. Her death came as a complete shock. Her Dr's were able to find a drug that would help her with the lung disease and would rid her of it! That was the last thing i heard.

May 4, 2011 Charlie, CJ and I flew to Utah to visit with my extended family. As soon as I'd walked through my grandparents' door, i finally turned on and checked my phone since the flight. I found an abundant about of missing calls and texts saying to call Dad or Mom A.S.A.P....I knew something was wrong. That's when I found out about Mimi's passing that'd happened morning.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE though, vacation was fun. We changed our return flight to Raleigh, NC so we could make it to the funeral. We stayed with Corey and Bradi while there, and then drove home with dad and Kinsey.

So anyway, life has been interesting. Mom gave me a book by Evelyn Bence, called Comfort from Beyond. It's been nice to hear about different stories of people's experiences with losing someone and turning to God for strength and comfort. I've just been in a weird place emotionally since Mimi's passing. Hopefully the book will help, it's starting to already thankfully. That's all for now.