passing

I sat down with my tablet in my lap to write about the last few days. The phone rang. It was my mother with the tragic news that Kenda had passed away in the night. Kirsten's sister-in-law was ill and fighting cancer but none of us foresaw her imminent demise. I feel shaken up and can only imagine what Shawn and Kirsten must be feeling. Kirsten and the girls got several opportunities to visit with her when they were here, but Shawn was due to come August 5… too late.

Kenda was an occasional presence in my life, but my parents were much more involved with her and her illness. They will feel her absence more.

Occasionally I stop to reflect on our fleeting visit to this world and remind myself to participate more fully and cherish my loved ones. I sometimes live in autopilot, missing out on life by my inattention.

Killing time on facebook… a bunch of posts with RIP Rolf so I can only surmise that Rolf, the loveable Viking from Norway has also passed away - from Cancer.

Well, I guess I'll do a brief rundown of my quest to keep from getting depressed after Kirsten and the girls left.

Carm played golf on Thursday morning early, leaving me to have a luxurious sleep in. I couldn't have a lay-about all day though as Dave was coming for supper and the house hadn't been cleaned for days. What a way to spend an afternoon, but I did sneak out for a few swims.  The temp was 32C. Supper with Dave was a simple affair and then we all moved to the living room for several hours of (boring) Republican Convention. Surreal at times. According to a fact checking organization 50% of the facts stated in Donald Trump's speech were outright lies, while many others were misleading.

Damn prickly eyes. Get a grip. Put on some music (no, not that song, it's too depressing… let's try 'Joy to the World' by Jim Croce).

Friday I dilly dallied in the morning until we decided to make a dash for the city. We were looking for a USB stick, some touch up paint for the car, some sandals for me (already picked out), and a quick visit with Carm's mom. Whew - way more stops than I like in a day, not to mention heavy traffic and construction wherever we turned. My favorite thing: spend time in the car on a beautiful day. But,  we did get home while the heat was still upon us. The temp topped out at 34C.

“Every moment was a precious thing, having in it the essence of finality.”
~Daphne du Maurier