Haruni is done!

And blocking on the wall at the office. I don't have a good blocking board at home. This cubicle wall turned out to be the perfect place. I just couldn't figure out where else to put it. The husband won't allow me to put pins into the walls at home. I'll have to figure out how to stretch a sheet tightly on boards to put up when I need a wall, I suppose. Then I'll have to store it somehow. The styrofoam I purchased just didn't cut it, IMHO.
I've also made some progress on Rhiannon.



At the moment, however, I have picked up the stitches for the left and right borders and for the main motif. I didn't get much more than that because we had to drive to Grand Rapids to see hubby's cousin.

For those who don't want to be brought down by this, stop reading here.

Suzie, my hubby's cousin is 44. We had a birthday party for her on Sunday, and while she didn't look anything like herself, due to ALS ravaging her little body, she was happy and smiling and glad to see everyone there. I was able to give her the little lapghan I made for her. The children were the BEST in the world, and read her cards and opened her presents for her since she was not able to do so. ALS is Lou Gherig's Disease. It destroys your muscle tone and takes away your ability to move anything, while leaving your brain intact. Eventually, it kills you by taking away even your automatic responses--heartbeat and breathing, and you die, fully aware that it's happening. There's a lot of pain from the nerves basically in constant fight or flight that the muscles can't respond to. It's a most horrible way to die. Hospice helps by loading up on Morphine, which makes you sleepy and unresponsive. We went to visit the family and support Suzie's mother and son. Suzie opened her eyes and looked directly at my husband, but there was no glimmer of recognition there. It's a horrible, HORRIBLE way to die.

Suzie lost her dad a few years back to a freak accident in the middle of the winter. Her dad and a friend were in the woods cutting down trees, when a limb fell free and struck her father in the head. He died instantly, but the shock at the sudden death is still a grief-stricken memory for Suzie's mother, son and brother. The entire family turned out for the funeral, and there was not a dry eye in the entire place...including mine.

And now, my hubby's aunt has another death to grieve. This person has just about had enough grief. I know that God never gives you more than you can bear, but hubby's Aunt is a really soft-hearted soul. Not that I would hand this sort of measure of "deal with it" to anybody, if I were God, but to deal it twice to the same person? Well, I just don't know if I would be that cold. As we were driving over, I prayed that it would be over quickly and with as little pain as possible. I suppose that's all you can do in this type of situation. Beyond that, I'm not very good at offering comfort.

There was one thing that was pretty amazing out of the visit.

Apparently, a little girl came in (relation to the family) to see Suzie, and as she was walking up, a small butterfly alighted on her finger, and it STAYED on her finger into the nursing home and into Suzie's room, where it flew a little while, and then hid in a box where the birthday cards were sitting. It was still in the box, almost as if it were waiting for Suzie to become a new being and go with God.

My first thought, when I saw the butterfly waiting there, was that angels were in the room, waiting to take Suzie, released out of the cocoon of a ravaged body, and into the sky where she will meet her dad and some of the other family who have gone before. The thought gave me the shivers and goose flesh, but at the same time, comfort, that she would have a guide that would help her on part of her journey.

Now, just a waiting game. Doctors there tell us 24-48 hours. There's a funeral for a younger person in our near future. No parent should have to bury their child. I really feel heart-broken for my husband's aunt. She knows she will see them again one day. That gives her the comfort that no blanket can give. I still feel good about that.

Hubby graduates from his class today, and gets his associates degree in General Studies. There is a big hoop-la going on over at the campus, and I'm going to accompany him. I have to prepare this old body so that should the camera look my way, I can at least present like I clean up good.

It's been a hard couple of days. I can't wait for the week to be over, because I'm hoping to take a week's vacation next week. We'll see how that works out.