Week O' Drama

Since we started going out, things have always been a bit weird. Mrs. History's grandfather had alzheimers, and I never truly met the man. This was five years ago, and I've met him a few dozen times, but I didn't know the man.

While the Mrs. And I watched the Superbowl last Sunday, he had a stroke. This was just the last of a number of health issues that came up for him. It was sad, honestly, and I always felt sort of guilty for not knowing more about him. It's just hard to get to know somebody in such a state. Plus, I never knew what to say to my wife regarding him. How can you? This went on for the past five years. It wasn't until Monday that she found out about the stroke. Then, the next day as she drove to work, her father called to let her know that her grandfather had passed away.

This is when the week got turned upside down. First, I rushed home to cook dinner before my basketball game. That way, she didn't have to be totally alone the whole night without me. At that point the funeral was to be on Thursday, and the wake on Wednesday. On my way home from the game, I realized...I'm going to be a pall bearer. Sure enough, by the time I got home, I was a pall bearer, and the services were both pushed back a day.

Wednesday, while trying NOT to cause a fight, we fought over something dumb. Typically, it was my fault, because I tried not to get angry, which meant I walked away from the situation, and it caused a fight anyway. Thursday, I rushed home from work, we packed, and after setting up the dog for my sister to take care of, we left for Schenectady, NY. This was when the weird things started to happen...

1. After entering the Mass Pike at exit 2, I found myself forced out of the only open "Fast Lane" by a tractor trailer. I didn't know that I was forced into a cash only lane. The toll booth collector yelled at me as I drove by at about 15 mph, causing me to stop. I pointed at my EZ pass. He said, you can't use that here. I asked what I was supposed to do. He said "$3.60." There was nobody behind me, and I couldn't back up?! What bull! I tossed the jerk $4, telling him to keep it. This truly was highway robbery.
2. When we got to the wake, my in-laws asked if I heard what happened as they drove up. While driving down I-787 through the capital district, my father-in-law's driver side window spontaneously shattered. WEIRD!
3. My mother-in-law's cousin teased her...Randy, you see, is a game-show host. Not really, but he certainly should be one.
4. At the funeral, my wife was a reader. When she got up to read, she had to read a reading she was NOT prepared for. Her cousin read her reading, the second one. Despite the fact that my wife had the first reading, and the cousin had the second, they prepared to read the opposite readings. OH, and in the program for the funeral, my sister-in-law was apparently married to her cousin...And last names were spelled wrong all over the place.
5. I cried during the eulogy...Mostly because I thought of what my grandfather and father always said...Remember who you are and what your name is. These are words to live by.
6. After first leaving, then coming back because the puppy was okay, I went back for slides at my wife's grandmother's house. Somewhere in the 4 hours there, my driver's side mirror was smashed. AWESOME! That's what I get for doing the right thing.

All in all, it was a growth week. Looking at Job (the Old Testament reading from Super Sunday), I had to look at the "Why me" attitude and laugh. Life happens. Things change. Things stay the same. How you adjust to the changes life brings will determine your life. If you look to blame somebody, there's no point. God gives us what we can handle, and the life we get is ours. We can question it, or we could live to its fullest.

Here's to living!