Today was the first day without May and there was an emptiness to the yard that I was not expecting. Jeff and I had discussed the night before how important it would be to spend as much time as we could with Missy, both for her and for our own sanity. The kids had been asking over and over where May was, and we've continued to explain that May was too sick, the doctors couldn't help her, and neither could we. She was happy now and she got to go live with God. Norah replied "Why did she walk to church?" Heaven is going to be tough to explain.
I decided that we would spend some time with Missy and wear the kids out so as soon as they woke up. We ate and then headed outside to play in the 'kiddie pool' and more importantly visit with Missy.
Missy was excited to see us, until she saw the water. At that point she hid in her "bunker" behind the shrubs against the house. Eventually she left the relative safety of the bushes to come visit me in the shade of the umbrella. Then the kids decided to give her water from their buckets (I think it was Justin's idea originally). She drank from both of their buckets, which made their day and grossed me out as they then started drinking the water too. She got suspicious when they started dumping their water on the ground, and retreated to the shrubs again.
While Missy alternated laying and sitting next to me, she started crying every now and then which broke my heart. At one point she did it while Norah was petting her, and Norah asked what she was doing. I told her that she was sad. Norah said, "Yeah. She's sad her friend's gone." I'm always surprised by how much they understand. Then again, when they couldn't coax her out from the shrubs for obvious reasons, they started hollering for May.
After dinner, we decided that it would be a good thing for the whole family to take a walk. The kids were thrilled to be outdoors and Missy was obviously enjoying being with everyone. Jeff and I played referee between Norah and Justin who were busy fighting over sticks or who got to help hold the leash. At the end of our walk, the neighbor's sprinklers went off. The kids sprinted to the sprinklers and started screaming wildly and running through them. Missy, Jeff and I stood and watched with amusement while they played and laughed. It was a nice evening, and somehow lessened the sorrow that had been hanging around us.
Life goes on and must eventually return to normal. For us it's simply a new normal.
Today was the first day without May and there was an emptiness to the yard that I was not expecting. Jeff and I had discussed the night before how important it would be to spend as much time as we could with Missy, both for her and for our own sanity. The kids had been asking over and over where May was, and we've continued to explain that May was too sick, the doctors couldn't help her, and neither could we. She was happy now and she got to go live with God. Norah replied "Why did she walk to church?" Heaven is going to be tough to explain.
I decided that we would spend some time with Missy and wear the kids out so as soon as they woke up. We ate and then headed outside to play in the 'kiddie pool' and more importantly visit with Missy.
Missy was excited to see us, until she saw the water. At that point she hid in her "bunker" behind the shrubs against the house. Eventually she left the relative safety of the bushes to come visit me in the shade of the umbrella. Then the kids decided to give her water from their buckets (I think it was Justin's idea originally). She drank from both of their buckets, which made their day and grossed me out as they then started drinking the water too. She got suspicious when they started dumping their water on the ground, and retreated to the shrubs again.
While Missy alternated laying and sitting next to me, she started crying every now and then which broke my heart. At one point she did it while Norah was petting her, and Norah asked what she was doing. I told her that she was sad. Norah said, "Yeah. She's sad her friend's gone." I'm always surprised by how much they understand. Then again, when they couldn't coax her out from the shrubs for obvious reasons, they started hollering for May.
Life goes on and must eventually return to normal. For us it's simply a new normal. 
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