The Last Days.

The last days have been a blur. A worldwind of emotions. A time I will treasure but never want to repeat.

Monday afternoon Todd called me and said, "The nurse doesn't expect her to be here much longer". Her-meaning his mom. His mother who has fought breast cancer for almost the last decade.

He went to be by her side. Asking me to stay with the girls. Monday night was awful-he was there. I was here. I didn't want to call and text him a lot. But I wanted to call and text him a lot. Finally-after a night of not sleeping I had the girls ready for my mom to take to school and let to be by his side at 5am Tuesday morning. We sat by his mom's side for the next 28 hours. Taking turns through the night praying over her. Letting her know we love her and its okay for her to leave.

It was a long night.

Wednesday morning, I left her house to go back to work. I needed to be around happy children. and I  needed to see my girls. Todd called around 1 and let me know he was coming home and we were going to take the girls trick-or-treating. Something that is almost foreign to them since we have done the church festival most of their little lives. We got all dressed up and loaded up in the truck and drove around the neighborhood and let them trick-or-treat. They had a blast.

Around 7:15 we got a call from Todd's grandmother. The time was close. At 7:28 a message saying "she's gone baby".

She was surrounded by her mother, sisters, husband, and best friends. I am a 100% sure she waited until Todd was not there because she never wanted him to see her vulnerable.

We dropped the girls off with my parents-telling them we had an errand to run and they could go in and eat candy. We headed to her house. Her body was still there-peaceful and calm. Todd went back and spent a few last minutes before the funeral home came. The hospice nurse joined us to handle all the final details and the house filled with love from family and friends.

Kathy was an amazing Mother-in-law. From our first lunch date to O'Charley's, where she made it clear that Todd was a handful and was I prepared for him...and did I know she was sick...and all that " I am the main woman in his life" front. To our final night last night-where I stood over her and talked to her almost lifeless self about how Todd and I will take care of each other. The past 7 years my life has been so filled with extra love and joy because of the amazing mother-in-law I was blessed with. I have so many memories that I thank God for.

Tonight-we celebrate because Kathy is now cancer free. She fought her fight and she can now be at peace. Tomorrow-we tell the girls. The hardest part, I believe, in this journey.

Kathy's verse she claimed during her battle was Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." She did all things-and he gave her strength.  May her strength live on through all those she touched.