Taking the Scenic Route

It’s been a tough day. 

Zach took Zane to preschool, then I got Zora all bundled up and took Zach over to Robert’s place and dropped him off and ran back to pick up Zane.  Originally, I was going to take Zane back to the literacy playgroup in the afternoon and then run to the funeral, but when we discovered that the funeral was about as far across town as possible for us and started the same time as his preschool, we decided that Robert needed us more than Zane needed to be in preschool.  So, after I picked up Zane I had less than an hour to get the three of us fed and dressed and back out the door.  It was mad test in multitasking.  Zane didn’t want to get changed, he didn’t want to wear his black shoes (no biggie, that one I could accommodate) and he wasn’t thrilled to be leaving.  Zora was a crying mess because it hit right when her nap should have been.  She flailed and screamed as I was changing diapers and dressing her.  I also had to remember to grab Zane’s gameboy and games, the card Zach forgot this morning, and directions to get there.  Oh, and my period started.  I felt like I had been run over by the time I straggled out the door.

The only thing I didn’t check before leaving was the traffic reports, because that isn’t really something you do around here very often.  I ended up in massive road construction for miles once I got off the interstate.  Ugh.  I did get there eventually though, but was about 5 minutes late.  We walked in to the sanctuary and Zora starts crying and Zane can’t sit.  I start nursing Zora to help quiet her down and Zach gives Zane the gameboy with the volume off and he starts protesting rather loudly to having the volume off.  With Zora still latched on, I try to scoop up Zane and he gets even louder.  Zach helps me out of the sanctuary and I send him back in to be with his friend.  After some pinballing around the not-kid friendly lobby, I find a tiny viewing room that isn’t in use, close the doors and lock the kids in with me so the noise is at least contained.  Both calm down after a few minutes.  Zane settles in to his game and I do endless rounds of patty cake and itsy bitsy spider to keep Zora entertained.  Eventually I hear Eilysh out in the hallway with her Grandma (Dori’s mom) and poke my head out.  Grandma was dealing with the beginning of a tantrum because she wanted to go outside, and I say hi, getting Grandma’s attention, who then gets Eilysh to to notice Zora.  That had her jogging back away from the door, and we spent the last part of the services watching the girls play together and talking.  It was probably the person I knew the best at the funeral, outside of Robert’s immediate family, because we had been at so many of their family gatherings before. 

I really would have liked to have seen the service.  Zach said it was an interesting combination of Christian and Native American (Cherokee I believe), with reading of Psalms 23, and then some ceremonial dances and chants by a medicine woman. 

After the funeral we went back to their house and hung out for a while.  Eventually we came home and Zach all but passed out from exhaustion after the difficult day.  As it turned out, we were the only people, beside’s Dori’s folks, who were there but not related to the deceased.  None of Robert’s other friends showed up.  I am disappointed for him because I know some of his friends have been friends since childhood and I know him well enough to know that, even though he will say it is fine, he is going to be hurt by it.

Robert is planning on coming over tonight, so I need to clean up the tornado I created when I was getting the kids ready.  *sigh*

I am glad the day is over.  I wish there was a way I could take away this pain for Robert.