~and my life went on~

Two years have passed come tomorrow that my older sister Sherry died while under hospice care in Altus, Oklahoma.  24 months, 730 days, countless hours and minutes have run their course.  At times it seems like only yesterday that I saw her last while other times her passing seems like 5 lifetimes ago.  Yet even in everything else, one thing was for certain.

Life went on.

At age 63 and pushing 64 in late October this year, I have experienced plenty of moments when a time came to say "good-bye for now" to family members and close friends who have died.  My folks are both gone and out of 7 children born to them, only 3 remain.  My aunts and uncles on both sides have all passed away and the number of first cousins I have remaining can nearly be counted on one hand.  As a child growing up, I have so many happy remembrances of huge family gatherings, especially at the holidays.  There was no shortage of Scott or Brown family members back then.  

Things have changed.
Life went on.

Mike and I made the trip to Laurel Cemetery just outside of Haven yesterday to put some flowers out for Sherry's grave.  The spring before she died in 2017, she and I were cleaning out a few of the boxes that were in her little office area at home.  There was a huge sack of brand new silk flowers with the tags still on them.  I complimented them, saying how lovely they were and before I knew it, they were placed in my hands to take home.  Sherry was just that way.  I took them to school for use in my classroom's Kansas display.  For the past 2 years, the kids at Grandfield saw them all over the place.  I'd always explain that they were sunflowers and that my sister had given them to me.  When this year came to an end, I packed those silk floral pieces up once again and moved them north to Kay County with the rest of my school things.  

A couple of days ago when I was unpacking the boxes for my new classroom, I came upon them once again.  This time I decided to do something different with them and packed them back into my car for the next time we made the journey to see Sherry.  Yesterday those flowers that she once gifted to me, found their way back to her.

It's been 2 summers ago that we took her earthly body home to south central Kansas.  I was so happy to see that the grass is finally beginning to cover the area atop of her grave.  It's kind of tough sometimes to go back and see that raw earth where she lies.  Finding the grass beginning to grow is a soothing feeling, almost one of healing a wound.  The one thing my sister would have never wanted me to do would be to live each day mourning her loss.  Sherry would have been really upset with me for being sad that she was no longer here.  So I try to honor her in any way that I can, always remembering what a wonderful person she was as well as being the epitome of a master teacher that I too hope to be one day.  

For sure I know this.
Life will go on.


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