Coping with loss...

The other day I blogged about my grandmother (Yiayia), she wasn't doing as great as one could have hoped and her time came and she left us unfortunately.

Unfortunately not a word I think is befitting, but not sure what word to use. Her death, devastating horrible for us, a blessing in disguise for her and a conundrum of feelings for all. With her ever ailing health that was only disintegrating rapidly making her quality of life not one hoped for many. While she had the privilege to continue to live in her house til the last visit at the hospital had she been able to leave the hospital it would have been to an old age home which would have been devastatingly awful for my Yiayia.

So last Wednesday we lost her, and the weekend was spent grieving her departure... dealing with the loss, viewings and funerals. Mourning ensued, a husband who didn't falter for a moment and children who were beyond resilient.

I am sure I will get a barrage of complaints, but my daughters were given the opportunity to say their goodbyes as the rest of us were, they were permitted to enter and exit the viewing room as they pleased... they were walked over to the casket to say their final goodbyes while the room was fairly quiet and they both said Goodbye in their little voices. They are OK with the moment, no misunderstanding has been seen by them, they both understand that their big Yiayia is sleeping and won't be coming home.

My eldest realised it was not a happy occasion watching our Yiayia sleeping on display, they didn't come to church so that we could pray and mourn without distraction and they were left out of the burial part of the funeral... personally I think we all should be. I have not been able to realise why such must be done in the presence of all, why they reopen the casket for their last memory of the person be right over the open ground. Personally disturbing!

I am glad my daughters can have peace, I have a road, a journey to find mine... but in all I am glad she has moved on to her next part of her soul's journey.