Where to begin?
It's been a busy couple of weeks, with little time to sit and think, let alone write. A week of endings, beginnings, and of things finally feeling right after feeling wrong for a while.
An Ending:
One week ago today, we buried Steve's step father, Ron. He had been ill for a while, dealing with the aftermath of a botched knee replacement surgery (MRSA infection), congestive heart failure, and declining health after 70+ years of not taking care of himself. In the end, it was pneumonia that caused his death on November 16th, just a few hours after being removed from the ventilator he had been connected to for 7 days.
The funeral was small, attended by close family and friends. Ron had 3 children from a previous marriage in addition to Steve and his brother and sister. Steve is doing OK, and his mother is starting to adjust to life without the drama of having an ill spouse to occupy your time.
My feelings are mixed. Ron was a bigoted, opinionated bastard at times, full of bluster and ego. This led to times when I just could not stand to be around him, declaring at one point that he made Archie Bunker look liberal.
But, he was a good provider and husband for Steve's mother, marrying her when she was a single mother with 3 children, providing a home for them, and raising them like they were his own. I guess that's no different than any of us. We balance our good side with our bad side, and in the end all we can hope to say, or have said of us, is that we did our best.
A Beginning:
We found out in August that Steve's niece Karie is expecting her first child in April. This past week, we saw the first ultrasound pics of the baby. It's a girl, and her name will be Haiden. I can't wait to be a "great uncle bear" and have already suggested to Karie that she rent a copy of Auntie Mame to see just what she's in for. I fully intend to make sure that two of little Haiden's first words are "Prada" and "Tiffany's". Every child should have an "Uncle Mame"