And Back Home.....

So I am back...

I left Friday morning to fly down to Charlotte and be picked up my parents so I could attend the viewing and funeral. I kinda realized the night before that my real motivation for going wasn't for my grandmother's funeral but really to support my father as it was his mother.

I've already admitted that I didn't have the best of relationships with my grandmother so I had a much different reaction to seeing her at the funeral home versus my maternal grandmother to whom I was very close. My father broke down which was to be expected but considering that I had never really seen my father cry before it was a little emotional for me. On the really good side about it, I got to see a LOT of family members that I hadn't seen in years and reconnect with them.

THere was a bit of a humorous moment when I was asked to be a pallbearer which I had no problem with however, I read the obituary online and it said it was a graveside service so packed for a humid South Carolina funeral. No jacket, no tie. Voila! We're now holding a service in the chapel of the funeral home and then moving to the cemetary. Oh well. We pulled through and all was well. On the nice surprise of it all, my aunt (my mother's sister) showed up right before the service which was very nice to see.

It was a short trip down for me -- arriving on Friday and leaving on Saturday afternoon about four hours after the service. It wasn't my plan as my parents bought the ticket for me but I got asked by a lot of family members as to why I was leaving the same day. I was truthful with why I was heading out (I had no say since I didn't buy the tix) and everyone seemed to buy it. My parents left this morning and I'm sure there were a few raised eyebrows about that.

Really there was no need for us to stay very long. Her house had already been sold the prior year and, from what I already know, my father had power of attorney on her finances so all that will have to be paid are the funeral costs and perhaps a few lingering medical bills that Medicare doesn't fully cover. There is a bit of that "proper Southern etiquette" in a our blood but I think everyone kinda understood the situation.

I'm sure we'll get some more feedback in the coming days but for now, I'm just going to focus on my father and making sure that he's okay.