Strong emotional content continues. Took my sister to see our aunt that lives a couple of hours south. My usual route of course is to swing through Natchitoches, see two sets of friends, then head over for the afternoon, spend the night and depart after breakfast the next day. Only one cousin was available and we only had about four hours to spend, so popped out to pick up catfish, shrimp, and hushpuppies after talking for a while.

As predicted, the temperature dropped significantly and it rained most of the way back. Not a hard rain though which made it manageable. Other step-brother and his wife were at the ALF along with the first step-sister. Daddy was in his chair asleep and had been for a few hours. In the midst of all this, there was yet another loss only a few weeks ago as my other step-sister passed away unexpectedly. Her husband came in later and of all the people involved in what is going on, he’s the one we are most concerned about. He is very close to Daddy and my step-sister had been through her medical issues with grit and determination. He’s been with her throughout and no one suspected the recent downturn would be different. For him to not barely get beyond the preliminary things after the death of a spouse and have this added in is so difficult. Daddy roused for a bit although with no prolonged interaction. My sister suggested our step-sister’s widower come to dinner with us and I’m glad she did. He is a genuinely good guy and we were able to talk some. Like with my other friend, I assured him I was available to talk in the early hours of the morning if the time comes when he feels that pang of loss so intently that he just needs to reach out.