It’s hard to describe the day after a funeral. Reality sets in and the laundry pile, forgotten during the week, beckoned. Life, with its many tasks and obligations, goes on.
I found myself driving to Blaine Cemetery to view my mother’s gravesite. Red roses lay on the freshly covered area. Another person was nearby, pulling weeds near a tombstone. How often do people visit a gravesite of someone they love? Is it only at Memorial Day? Am I supposed to weed? I saw a lawn care worker in the distance. How often do these people take care of a cemetery?
We spent the afternoon trying to keep my father busy. I located a pile of coins in his closet and instructed him to count them. He resisted at first and then found himself enjoying the task as he sorted the currency. He marveled that he allowed $60 worth of coins to lay around in a plastic bag. ” I could have made interest on it!” he commented. We also created a daily schedule and posted it near his door. ” You need to look at this every day, Dad,” I reminded him. He agreed. The broken ceiling light distracted him as well. Mitch fixed it, with my father watching his every movement. Household tasks definitely distract. At the end of the afternoon, we decided to take him out for supper. Our niece joined us. When he arrived, he broke down, remembering that it was his first time eating at a restaurant without my mom.
My favorite part of the day was, when parting ways for the night, he lovingly said,
” You are a good daughter” to me and “You are a good son-in-law” to Mitch. It was a memorable way to end ” the day after”.
My parents took a lot of pictures of their home, something I rarely do. 
The black/ white photos were still in great shape. 
I loved displaying examples of my parents’ writing. 
A Journey Worth Remembering 
Michelle, I love reading you blog because it reminds me of my mother’s death in 2017. Aren’t you glad you’ve had this time off to be there for your parents? A special blessing, I believe.
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