Every so often life conspires to show me just how isolated I am from many cultural norms. Funerals are one place. I have been to very few in my life. Family funerals? Well, I have never been to one before. My side of the family doesn't do funerals.
So, add to the chaos of grief, quick long-distance travel, stress, emotion, not enough sleep, the sheer is-this-really-happening aspects of being in a barely familiar place with barely familiar people (except Jim and Mark)--well, my father-in-law's funeral was a unique situation.
Friday we left Seattle in the early afternoon. We changed planes in D.C. at Dulles airport, but our second plane had a long delay, and we got into Greensboro two hours late, at 1:30 a.m. (they originally predicted we might not get in until 2:30!) Mark and Jim's sister Pat were there to get us and drive us to Pat's house about a half an hour away--they must have been exhausted! We were tired, too, especially Jim whose cold was at its height (or is that depth?), but at least that was only 10:30 our time.
We just managed to get up in time for the family viewing at the funeral home at 9:00 am. That was followed by a grave-side service, then a lunch at Pat's sister-in-law's house.
We spent the night at a hotel in Greensboro, because we had to get up at 4:30 am (1:30 am our time!) for our series of planes home (two changes, one in Dulles and another in Denver--luckily, no delays). We were grateful but worn out in every way when we got home Sunday afternoon.
We are still taking it all in, recovering and processing the experience as best we can from it all (obviously Jim losing his father is not so immediately recoverable). Jim is gradually getting over his cold; we are slowly catching up from our exhaustion.
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For my listening, reading, writing news and the start of the journal of my 1997 trip to Scotland, see Les Semaines.
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So, add to the chaos of grief, quick long-distance travel, stress, emotion, not enough sleep, the sheer is-this-really-happening aspects of being in a barely familiar place with barely familiar people (except Jim and Mark)--well, my father-in-law's funeral was a unique situation.
Friday we left Seattle in the early afternoon. We changed planes in D.C. at Dulles airport, but our second plane had a long delay, and we got into Greensboro two hours late, at 1:30 a.m. (they originally predicted we might not get in until 2:30!) Mark and Jim's sister Pat were there to get us and drive us to Pat's house about a half an hour away--they must have been exhausted! We were tired, too, especially Jim whose cold was at its height (or is that depth?), but at least that was only 10:30 our time.
We just managed to get up in time for the family viewing at the funeral home at 9:00 am. That was followed by a grave-side service, then a lunch at Pat's sister-in-law's house.
We spent the night at a hotel in Greensboro, because we had to get up at 4:30 am (1:30 am our time!) for our series of planes home (two changes, one in Dulles and another in Denver--luckily, no delays). We were grateful but worn out in every way when we got home Sunday afternoon.
We are still taking it all in, recovering and processing the experience as best we can from it all (obviously Jim losing his father is not so immediately recoverable). Jim is gradually getting over his cold; we are slowly catching up from our exhaustion.
---
For my listening, reading, writing news and the start of the journal of my 1997 trip to Scotland, see Les Semaines.
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