Round Two...

It's been a rough weekend. On Friday, we flew to Massachusetts for my grandfather's memorial service (which was so very heartwrenchingly beautiful, I can't really describe it or even talk about it). When we landed, we found out that his dear sister, my great-aunt and surrogate grandmother, passed away at 11:30 that morning. Sigh. If Grandpa was the patriarch of our family, my great-aunt was the much-loved matriarch. She loved us all as children and grandchildren, filling the void when Grandpa's wife and my grandmother died of cancer long before I was born. Grandpa and my great-aunt lived out the last days of their lives together, just a fews doors apart at the facililty where they both ended up. They were truly best friends and companions... gleefully greeting each other several times a day (having forgotten they'd just seen each other). As dementia claimed both of them, they still recognized each other and delighted in each other's company. My great-aunt's health was fine before Grandpa died. I hated the thought of her left behind, alone and confused and looking for her brother. Now she has found him and while my heart aches for my own loss, I am so very grateful for their peace.