Mom-Mom's Funeral

Mom-Mom's funeral/remembrance was this weekend in St. Louis, MO. Carrie woke up at 5:00 AM Saturday to make her flight. It was a life-well-lived and not a sudden tragedy, but I still expect it to be an emotional weekend. Even when someone was ready to go, you know that you will miss them. I'm glad that Carrie took the opportunity to be with her folks and extended family.

Carrie has sent some great pictures home for Shane. I bet it was Grandpa's idea to look at the trains!

If it weren't for the big blue train, I would find it hard to believe they were in a train station.

There are wooden bridges...

...and fish...

...and a mall?!? The sign says "TRAINSHED." Unless, the misspelled "tarnished" I think it's safe to assume this picture was taken close to the blue train earlier.

Grandma and Grandpa love to travel. Travel agency suits them.

This picture actually looked like a train station to me (albeit an incredibly fancy one).

I hope that Carrie's family is enjoying their time together. They should swap stories, celebrate the good memories, enjoy each other's company and pay their respects. I'll add more pictures if Carrie sends them. 

UPDATE: Carrie reported that the trains are decorative and no longer functional. No wonder they looked so clean. No current lines pass through. It's a thematic/historic mall.

Farewell, MomMom

MomMom passed away at 1:00 AM Saturday morning, April 18th, 2015. Grandma and Grandpa were still in Montana. Uncle Mike and his wife live nearby, too. Carrie called me to let me know, so we could mark her passing and mourn together. I pray that she is at peace with Jesus.

Carrie and I agreed that we should try and do something with Grandma and Grandpa the next chance we get.

MomMom

I have not mentioned it here, but MomMom's health has seriously declined. After the first stroke put her in the hospital, she recovered, and moved back home. She had another stroke weeks later than went undetected until she told Grandma she lost the ability to read.

MomMom still seemed sharp to me whenever I talked to her. She remembered Kathleen and her family was in Greenville when we talked about my parents moving south. However, it was clear she was unhappy and sounding weaker from week to week. She told me that she wasn't eating any more and mainly laid in bed all day. She never wanted to talk about her condition, but it was easy to read between the lines. I was not surprised when I heard she was moved into hospice care.

Easter weekend, Grandma had more news. She and Carrie hugged for a long time.

I talked to Grandpa again today. He and Grandma have been in Montana. They were told it would be a day or two when they flew up, but MomMom has hung on since Easter Sunday. She's been non-coherent and she has slept the past couple of days. Grandpa said her breathing was very shallow, but still steady.

I'm not really sure how to end this post. I've started and stopped at least ten times. There's more to say, but I don't want to say too much or something wrong or something trite.