I'll catch up with you later when my chores are through

It's difficult to balance the gladness I feel against the sadness others are feeling at having another friend pass over.

It's been a day bringing me, again, an awareness of my time limits. We only get just so long here.

Grama Genevieve was the mate's (step) grandmother. She married Grampa after his first wife died. She raised two girls, was a lady all of her life. He went ahead of her years ago.

The mate and I stayed pretty close to her over the years. She was a staunch Free Methodist but still welcomed me kindly when I married her oldest grandson. She had a loving heart and caring ways toward me.

She went ahead of me yesterday. Her children and their families will miss her. Alzheimer's was a problem the last two years though and she will be glad to be done with that.

Saturday we will bury the remains. That phrase has been haunting my thoughts. The body she is done with we will tuck away. The remains of her caring love over the years will be right here, alive in each heart she touched with her life. I will carry "her remains" with me while I am here.

She gave me comfort when I was a new widow as one who knew the place I stood. She encouraged me to be caring and loving. She sent me Guide Posts. That was a good thing, to her. I even confess to enjoying most of the stories. For the twenty years I had the mate I spent at least two holidays with her a year and we always had fun visiting. I will miss her but I can't grieve her. She is back with her partner and has shed the body that no longer functioned correctly. I can only say we will miss her. She was the matriarch of that family.

I had just gotten the times and dates for that funeral when I found out I had missed knowing that my dear friend lost her father last weekend. I've been sick, I would not have been able to go anyway. But I was sorry to be unavailable to her if she needed me.

I'm sending a card with a note. It's not the same, but it's all I can do. I am still very non-functional. I am hoping to rest it out of me this weekend.

I don't want to spend the time I have here laid up. I did enough of that to suit me. But I am taking Friday and Tuesday off so I hope to be back up and jamming soon.