Hank and I had just been up to Oklahoma the week before to visit, and I'm so grateful that I will forever have that last memory of playing a card game around the kitchen island, laughing and having a good time. Even though she was tired and struggling with her breathing, she made every effort to enjoy the visit. We did not know at the time just how bad she was, but I think in a way she did.
She went to the hospital a few days after we left, and then we got the call that a cat scan showed the cancer had spread to her good lung, and there was nothing left to do about it. Again- no one knew how long she had. But we got the call late Wednesday that it didn't look good, and Hank left for Oklahoma early the next morning. She Facetimed us around 4:30 am wanting to tell us that she loved us. I wasn't sure that Hank would make it in time, but he did.
Needless to say, last week was a really tough week. We're in our early 40s, an age where we shouldn't have to be saying goodbye to parents just yet. I'm not sure its even really sunk in that she's gone. There was so much to do last week- making arrangements, attending services, looking after Hank's dad. I think it's going to take awhile to process it all.
Hank's mom was a gem. As far as mother-in-laws go, she really was the best!! She called me sugar, never meddled in our business, and made me feel like she loved me as her very own daughter. She raised an amazing son, and for that I will forever be in her debt.
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| This was from a surprise visit last fall, taken around the kitchen island where we spent so much of our time! |
