5 Things on Saturday

Good morning! It's been a while. In fact, the last month of my life has been pure chaos. There have been so many feelings! I've gone through sadness, worry, anxiety, relief, and a return to calm.

1. A few weeks ago, my husband's aunt came home from the hospital to die in her home. My awesome husband moved in to fulfill her wish. She was allowed to go home as long as she had 24-hour care. So, for the final eight days, my husband was there along with some really excellent caregivers we've had. 

I learned so much that week about death. It's odd how we have a vision in our head of what death looks like from the movies, and it's simply not realistic.  If you're not ill from a horrible disease like cancer, death is not a necessarily painful process. When your organs start shutting down, it can be painful. Hospice was amazing and helpful for Matt and the caregivers. 

Before death, a person kind of wakes up and has a surge of energy and sometimes even wants to get out of bed. These are precious moments. She woke up and told my husband she loved him and held his hand. 

2. My oldest daughter got her first job and completed her first semester of homeschool. We loved Classical Conversations, which is a Christian homeschool. The community and watching your child grow was absolutely amazing. I would love for my youngest to join, but I'm leaving that decision up to her since we've had so much change in our lives the last four years.

3. We had to put off our Hawaii trip for four years because my husband's Aunt was in and out of rehab and the hospital. We knew we couldn't get away for two weeks. We were going to go this summer, but I decided it was too soon. I did book the first week of our trip to Maui for next June. I wanted to slow everything down and take my time planning our dream vacation. We will be taking our kids and celebrating our 20th anniversary a little early. I need to start planning Kaui soon. 

4. I stopped working at Shipt a few weeks ago and started working with my husband. I've been working lots of hours going through his Aunt's house. She never got rid of one thing. People go through your things. There is no need to keep every single thing from your life. Donate and purge. It feels good. Your trash may be someone else's treasure.

5. We've been getting a few quotes to remodel the home we inherited. The quotes have been shocking. So, we will be adding a kitchen and great room on and doing the remodel ourselves. We even let the kids design their bathroom. I hate to tell my daughter that she has my taste, so I will keep my mouth shut. LOL.

Life has been a roller coaster for the last few years. With the previous month sending us down a hill and things are finally starting to become calm again. Life moves so quickly and seems to speed up as time goes on. I've learned not to take one moment, one breath, or one chance to show love for granted. Life fades to dust before we know it.