Text:  (Me to my life-long friend as she’s en route)

Slept till 10!  Hope you’re getting some rest too!  Safe travels home!

My Reflections:

I do something unheard of for me:  I sleep in till 10 AM!  The past week and a half have been a blur, (heck, the past two months have been a blur), and I guess my body finally revolted and took a stand;  “Enough’s enough!  More sleep, now!”

Somehow a “normal” morning (albeit the sleeping in part) mothering three boys seems a welcome reprieve compared to the upheaval that’s been life lately.  As I sip my late morning coffee with Little M by my side, one of my big boys snaps a photo….

A photo which perfectly encompasses this little moment of rest; rest and a big sigh of relief.  Relief that we made it.  Made it through the trauma of Papa’s death, the relaying of the hard news, all the arrangements that had to be made, the preparations for his service, the kind condolences and sweet time with family and friends.  In sum, the awful, the hard, the tedious, the good, the sweet.  All packaged together, it’s enough to make this introvert (and probably most extroverts) want to just find a cozy hole and crawl right in.

I’ll be back in the spring, but until then, don’t mind me, I’ll just be hibernating in the nearest cave.

I’m still not sure how to wrap my head around these past months, and now Papa’s death.  I know grief is rough and it usually gets a whole lot harder before it gets easier; but in this moment, this moment right here, I’m fine with just allowing myself a chance to breathe.

And giving myself permission to stay in my pajamas for as long as absolutely possible.

With any luck, I won’t even need to change come bedtime.