A Rough Week

People always say bad things come in threes.  My past week has proven this to be true.  It's been an emotionally exhausting week:

I had to say goodbye to my beloved grandmother, Marjorie Taylor.  Grandma Taylor was an extraordinary woman who touched the hearts of everyone she encountered. She had more love in her heart than anyone I know...love which she shared with her dear husband, 8 children, 25 grandchilren, 26 great greatchildren, many other friends and family, and most of all, the Lord. I strive to be even half the woman she was during her 88 years of life. Grandma and I both shared a love for music, writing, and (mostly) friendly board game competition. I will miss her tremendously.

During this same time, my oldest sister and her family were being evacuated from their home in the Colorado Springs area due to the Waldo Canyon Fire.  They had to grab a select few belongings and flee to her mother-in-law's home near Garden of the Gods.  They spent a few nights there, then were forced to evacuate again when the fire took a turn for the worse, and blew into the Colorado Springs city limits after 65 MPH gusts of winds.  They've been fortunate enough to get to go stay at the Olympic Training Center where my brother-in-law works.  From what I hear, they have been well taken care of there, so that has eased my mind a little.  Even still, I look over photos of this devastating fire and I can't imagine what it would be like to experience this firsthand.  It's terrifying.  My heart goes out to the people of Colorado.

And just when I thought it couldn't get worse, I got a phone call from my sister Margie informing me that my childhood best friend's mom had passed away.  This was the girl whose house I stayed at nearly every weekend as a kid.  Growing up, her mom was like my second mom.  Needless to say, this news came to me like a punch in the stomach.  A flood of emotions came over me.  I was sad for the loss of such a wonderful person.  I also felt a twinge of guilt.  This girl was my BEST FRIEND when I was a kid.  We did everything together.  As adults, our lives went two very separate ways and needless to say, we haven't kept in contact.  I haven't spoken to her in five years and knowing that she's been by her mom's side throughout this horrible disease and that I was nowhere during all this, just made me feel like a horrible person.  I felt even more guilty when I realized I wasn't going to be able to make it to the funeral, as it fell at the same time as our trip to Chicago for Chrissy's wedding.  I fought back and forth with myself as to whether or not I should end my trip early to come back for the funeral.  In the end, I ended up not going.  I hope my friend understands how much my heart breaks for her during this hard time, and I hope I can reconnect with this person who once upon a time was such a big part of my life.