Another Lesson In Perspective

This past weekend we lost my mother-in-law. She was terminally ill with lung cancer, but she wasn't deathly sick yet and we didn't expect her to go for another few months. I was at a continuing ed course for massage therapy all day Saturday, but that night we hosted my hubby's family for my father-in-law's birthday/Father's Day dinner. The whole crew came into town for it (all of us only get together a handful of times each year), and everyone went up to see her in the hospital, including all six grandkids. She was tired after seeing everyone, but she'd improved enough over the previous two weeks that the doctor was thinking of sending her home in a few days.

When I got home from the course that eveing the whole gang was there; six kids, nine adults and one dog. We had a lovely BBQ dinner prepared by my hubby, then watched the boys play soccer and badminton with the kids in the backyard. After everyone left, my father-in-law and sister-in-law went back up to the hospital (a forty minute drive) to bring Mom a piece of cake. A nurse told them she'd been just about to call them because Mom had suddenly taken a nosedive. When my relatives walked in, they found her panicked and struggling to get air. My hubby got the call to come up to the hospital, and he took off immediately. Since his brothers just happened to be in town, they were able to go up as well, so at least everyone was together. For three hours they sat with her and watched her slowly suffocate to death. My husband is traumatized by witnessing that, and I'm glad I wasn't there to see it.

Needless to say, things have been hectic and my priority is making sure I'm there for my hubby. His mom made him responsible for her funeral arrangements, and he's been swamped with taking care of all the details.

Long story short, I'm not exactly in the mood for writing right now. The only thing I've accomplished with writing over the past two weeks is critiquing over 250 pages for other people, and doing light edits on my new novella. I've got other projects sitting there waiting for my attention, but I really couldn't care less about them right now. And it looks like Mom's funeral will be held either the day when Relentless comes out, or a couple days afterward. Not sure I'll feel much like hitting the promotion trail right around then either.

Right now I feel the need to take stock of all my blessings: my kids, my hubby, my family and friends, my health. The rest seems to pale in comparison will all of that. Maybe it's Mom's way of making me get my priorities straight and putting everything in perspective. It's not a bad lesson to be reminded of.