When Caleb and I came home from church Sunday afternoon we found that Grandma had died while we were at the service. It was a momentous day: Grandma went to heaven, I found a body and called 911 for the first time.
Half of the family was out of town. Looking back I kind of wish I had had more presence of mind, but not knowing, really, what a dead person looked like, I called 911 right away. It was probably obvious, but being inexperienced and in shock we really couldn't tell if she was dead! The ambulance came, two policemen and a detective(because it was an in-home death), and finally, the funeral home. That was an awkward call: Hello, I have a body in my home, can you come pick it up? The whole process from discovery to transportation took three hours, but it felt longer. I was surprised afterwards how shell-shocked I was.
Considering how we found her, it seems that she died very quickly, and considering her age and the state of her health, that is completely understandable. We had talked about this as a family, and knew that the most comfortable way for Grandma to go would be a sudden death, at home. It was one of the evident Providences- there was no slow decline. It was a good thing that Caleb and I found her together, and not one of the younger boys, or for that matter, one of our guests over the weekend; it was a Sunday when we were off work; it was good it happened when we were gone, even, because there was nothing we could have done and as traumatic as it was to find her, it probably would have been worse to watch her die.
Grandma was ninety-five. Grandma lived with us for just barely three years, after she reached a point where she could no longer stay in assisted living. In the days leading up to Sunday Grandma was in good spirits and energy. I always said that when Grandma died I would still be honest in my remembrances. Grandma was hard to live with! One of the first things everyone noticed is how quiet it is now, because Grandma used to talk constantly(and complain a fair amount, too). And so God used her in our lives.
Now we're all caught up in planning a funeral and preparing to host out-of-town family, and all pretty tired, but overall doing well.
Half of the family was out of town. Looking back I kind of wish I had had more presence of mind, but not knowing, really, what a dead person looked like, I called 911 right away. It was probably obvious, but being inexperienced and in shock we really couldn't tell if she was dead! The ambulance came, two policemen and a detective(because it was an in-home death), and finally, the funeral home. That was an awkward call: Hello, I have a body in my home, can you come pick it up? The whole process from discovery to transportation took three hours, but it felt longer. I was surprised afterwards how shell-shocked I was.
Considering how we found her, it seems that she died very quickly, and considering her age and the state of her health, that is completely understandable. We had talked about this as a family, and knew that the most comfortable way for Grandma to go would be a sudden death, at home. It was one of the evident Providences- there was no slow decline. It was a good thing that Caleb and I found her together, and not one of the younger boys, or for that matter, one of our guests over the weekend; it was a Sunday when we were off work; it was good it happened when we were gone, even, because there was nothing we could have done and as traumatic as it was to find her, it probably would have been worse to watch her die.
Grandma was ninety-five. Grandma lived with us for just barely three years, after she reached a point where she could no longer stay in assisted living. In the days leading up to Sunday Grandma was in good spirits and energy. I always said that when Grandma died I would still be honest in my remembrances. Grandma was hard to live with! One of the first things everyone noticed is how quiet it is now, because Grandma used to talk constantly(and complain a fair amount, too). And so God used her in our lives.
Now we're all caught up in planning a funeral and preparing to host out-of-town family, and all pretty tired, but overall doing well.
1 comment:
I'm so sorry for your loss, and that you had to be the one to find her. My thoughts are with you!
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