another busy day.....

I took care of the couch monster. The sheets and towels and socks and shirts and skirts and blankies (and found Sonja's backpack).....and I vacuumed and cleaned counters and did laundry....then I talked to my aunt, who lives in another state, about my uncle who is dying.....we went to visit him.

Sadness. Just plain tearwater tea. Owlwater soup. My sister Cheryl and I, and my daughter Emily, and my niece Becky, who is 12 days older than Emily, went to see him. Nursing homes are awful places, in my opinion, and although this place was decent-looking, the air of despair and the sound of the bingo game going on in the rec room is just plain depressing. Then we entered my uncle's room. I knew he was in rough shape, but just seeing those beautiful blue eyes in a withered old face, years beyond my uncle's true age, was shocking. He mumbled and took off his oxygen mask to try to talk to us, but he didn't make any sense. He did hear us though, and he calmed down when we spoke to him. We told him that God loves him and has forgiven him, and that we love him too.

So.....he doesn't have much time left, and I hope to go see him again. Tomorrow night is Aaron's induction into National Honor Society, and I should go to that. And honestly, the thought of going to visit Jerry again is dreadful. I know I am awful, but what do I say to him? Emily says I should just talk to him about anything, just to be there with him so he is not all alone. hmm.

After our nursing home visit, I went with Emily to Toys r'us for some Easter candy, (and I took a quick peak at the dollhouse stuff, because I am still like 8 years old), then we went to Aldi, the store I have been in three times in four days and got some bread and chocolate, and trail mix for Mali's trip to Norway. Oh, how we wanted to go home then, but we got a call that Abigail needed a certain white shirt from a certain department store, and could we stop and buy it? Since Abigail is starting her new job soon, we decided we would stop and get it.

Mirielle made a beautiful taco salad for dinner for Mali's birthday, and we brought home some frosted cookies, her favorite.

This has been almost impossible to write, the two little girls are still up, Paul is here, and I am tired and distracted...maybe tomorrow I'll be able to write better.