Too Many Losses...

I am so sick of people dying...Last weekend my nephew's fatehr-in-law died...I didn't go to the services, I just didn't have it in me...Over the weekend, my mom's cousin, Bobby Bill, who I was fairly close to, died of what we presume are complications following a rather uncommon 7-bypass heart surgery...

Now, two deaths isn't necessarily a terrible thing...However...On Dec. 31st a very, very good friend of mine lost her 16 year battle with cancer...About a week & a half later her son & his wife lost their baby...Not long after that my Uncle John died...While I was out of town for uncle John's services, my "next door" neighbour emailed me to tell me her grandmother had died...I got home from Enfield and turned around and went to the evening calling hours for Mertie, and the funeral the next morning...Things calmed down for oh, about a week...Then my daddy's brother, uncle Don, died...and then on Feb. 14th my mom's cousin Moses "Billy" Bill died...Six deaths in as many weeks...and now there are these other two...Oh, also, my Aunt Regina's mother in law, Gladys passed away a couple of weeks ago as well...I forgot about that one...So really, that's nine deaths since the beginning of the year...I've only made calling hours and memorial services for four of them, although I plan on going down for Bobby's services...

I missed Billy's which really was difficult for me...My mom's cousins (and her siblings) are awesome and they are all very, very close...Losing Billy and Bobby are like losing Aunts & Uncles, really...I used to dance with Billy at the family reunions, and he always could get me laughing till my belly hurt...Bobby used to make some of the best desserts and bring those to family reunions and family gatherings that my aunt would have at her house...It's not like just because they were my mom's cousins, they were strangers to me...They're my family, and while we might have only seen each other a few times a year, we were close...

So, yeah...I'm having a hard time handling all of these deaths, and I'm hoping that things will settle down and get a bit brighter in my life soon...

Of course, there will be a new addition to the family later this month...Ray & Kelly (bro. & sis-in-law) are expecting their first little blessing on the 23rd...Incidentally, that's Ray's birthday, too...That will be a good thing...

Thanks for reading,
-Ramona Anne