A look back: June 25-27, 2018

Monday, June 25:  Jennifer had taken the week off work and set about trying to accomplish various things before leaving town the next day.  Daughter #2 got her official driver's license.  Preparing for the trip was, for her, the main feature of the day.  She also spent time being concerned about me.

I went to work at the usual time (there was a very large quantity of things to do, given that I had worked only parts of two days the previous week), but in the early afternoon I drove over to the oral surgeon's office to get the tube removed.  No anesthetic this time, and no more Mr. Nice Guy Surgeon, either.  He managed to shove a rubber cube into my mouth to hold my jaw open and then quickly removed the tube.  [Side note:  Nearly every dentist I have used in my adult life seems to think I can open my mouth further than I physically can.  Is this a universal phenomenon, or is it just me?]  Then it was back to work.

Tuesday, June 26:  I spent a long day at work followed by an uneventful evening at home.  Jennifer and the three kids headed to Ohio and arrived at her parents' home in the late afternoon.  Daughter #1 is still in MA working at Camp Northfield.  At this point, my plans were simple:  Since I had already planned on taking next week off for vacation, I would leave no later than Saturday to go to Ohio and rejoin the family there.

Jennifer's mom was conscious but very weak.  She was established in what the family has nicknamed the "Board Room" where she could see the TV, receive visitors, and have some privacy as needed.

I think it was on this day that I finally got back with Nathan and informed him that, yes, we had an answer for him.

Wednesday, June 27:  In a completely unrelated matter, two sisters who had attended our church for quite some time were preparing to move to NC and, as a sort of send-off, a bunch of us were going out to Culver's after our church's prayer meeting that evening.  So my plans were again simple:  Work, home for a quick supper, church, Culver's for custard.  The first two happened pretty normally.

But during the church service my phone vibrated and when I saw the call was from my wife, I immediately stepped out and took the call.  My mother-in-law had begun a sharp decline several hours earlier and now they did not anticipate she would last through the next day.  The local family was gathering at the house; our own kids, having been taken to my in-laws' church, were being summoned back.  I was asked to come to Ohio as soon as possible, and I decided to leave the next morning.

I still went to Culver's, and it seemed a little surreal to be with a happy group of friends eating yummy custard while my wife and kids were in a far different situation.

My mother-in-law passed away shortly before 11:00 p.m., surrounded by family who were singing to her when she took her final earthly breath.  We are confident that her soul went to heaven to be with her Savior.  We will meet her again.