We woke up Saturday morning like normal, but there was a little buzz of excitement with the thoughts of where God may be sending us. Jake and I went to morning yoga, then were planning to go and visit his parents. When we walked out of yoga, there was a missed call from Jake's dad. Right away, Jake and I looked at each other with the same thought. So we got into his car and called Tom back. The call was to let us know that Joan, Jake's mom, had passed away early that morning.
There is that moment when sadness over comes you. All I could do was cry. We sat there for about 5 minutes letting the loss sink in. Then we proceeded to drive home and let the kids know, Grandma was gone.
God has a way of timing events in our life that seem completely overwhelming and out-of-control, while at the same time peaceful and taken care of. Joan's passing was definitely one of those events. She wouldn't have been able to make the move to Washington. We were still in Wichita to help plan a memorial and set Tom up for the next chapter in his life. (There is foreshadowing statement.)
Over the next week, while waiting to hear from Spokane, we started going through our belongings and weeding out what we wouldn't move. A memorial service was planned in Salina for Joan for the day after school got out for summer. Life started to feel like one phase was coming to an end and another one was ramping up to begin.
Looking back, I'm so thankful for the relationship I had with my mother-in-law. I always made time for the kids to see her and tried to invite her to all of our functions. Before she passed, I spent a few hours just sitting by her bedside talking and listening to what ever topic came up. You know you have lived a good life, when those you leave remember and think of you often. I pray I live my life as a story worth telling and when someone thinks of me...they smile.
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