Hi Love!
I have to confess I can barely remember your “Celebration of Life”, I was so stressed; neither can I remember writing the “In Memorial” announcement which everyone loved—given the short deadline by the newspaper.
I seem to recall being at the Funeral Home deciding on Urns to hold your ashes, what food and drinks to serve, the number of people attending (like they think you are actually able to make decisions at this time), picking photographs for display that I never knew existed, and being overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork and proof of death required to be sent to different organizations, employers and the government.
I know it was “You” who saved the day, preventing major water damage in the walls, when a week after you left me the bedroom ceiling flooded from an unprecedented torrential rainfall. You placed our neighbour on his driveway, returning early from a trip, so he could be my saviour. He called his team of “Emergency Service Workers” who arrived within the hour and tore out the leaking ceiling—draining the water into buckets and installing three large fans to dry the exposed wet wood. According to everyone, even the Queen at Buckingham Palace couldn’t have gotten help at 8.30 pm on a Sunday evening.
The above meant I had to move to the basement guest room and commute between the two floors while inept insurance inspectors and different contractors flowed in and out trying to pinpoint and fix the problem. The insurance company’s non-compliance to the terms of my policy, and saying “no” to everything I’ve requested, didn’t help either—the quotes varied by thousands of dollars.
The going back and forth and final completion of the new ceiling took from August to one week before Christmas. You understand now why when the children called and said: “Don’t worry Mom we will celebrate Christmas together and stay at your place with the two dogs and the children —just make our favorite Hungarian Goulash” made me feel panic in my heart instead of joy!?
How was I going to cope? What if the work will not be finished—where can they stay? I have not slept through one night or managed to eat, let alone give myself some self-care, since you died.
For the following months, everything was a blur with workers coming and going but in the end even the new bed was approved by the insurance company and arrived just before Christmas. It was only a bit soaked upon delivery from being dragged in the deep snow. We had a quiet celebration — can’t tell you how much we missed you!
You must have had something to do with my friend’s offer to stay one month in Florida —getting me the last seat to Sarasota on January 1st! The trip saved me from spending the coldest winter on record in Ottawa. Being away slowly helped me accept the fact that you are gone but you are, and always will be, right here in my heart!❤️
Always thinking of you,
Forever your Edie
PS— I also know that somehow you are responsible for always finding me a parking spot outside our favorite coffee shop! Thank you!
