Emotionally Exhausting Day

Today was an emotionally exhausting day!

I would simply like to end this blog with the previous statement and go to bed. However, I feel the need to continue writing about this day.

FRUSTRATION

Frustration levels have been pretty high around the Bates' household for the last couple of days. That being said, we began today with a bit of leftover frustration from yesterday. This is not good, I say.

Keegan has been behaving very well at school, but I've noticed some resistance to me at home. I ask him to do something in preparation to leave the house. He doesn't do it. I ask him if he accomplished my request. He does not answer my question, but heads in the general direction of the task at hand. I feel a glimmer of hope that we may actually be on-time for any given function. Later, I find that the task has not been done, we are late, and my blood pressure rises.

The above cycle happened again this morning.

Later, I left to attend a funeral about two hours away from our house. I stopped to pick up my brother along the way. Somehow, I wound up taking my niece to school, which was no big deal...at first. I forgot how to get to her school from her house, so I made a wrong turn. One wrong turn led to several, and a 10 minute trip led to a 40 minute tour of the greater metro Grand Rapids area. All of the while, my four year old niece kept saying, "Aunt Sheryl, we are not going in the right direction...Aunt Sheryl, we are STILL not going in the right direction...Aunt Sheryl...we are lost...Aunt Sheryl, I don't want to miss the WHOLE day of school." Adrianna was 25 minutes late to school.

PLEASURE

Even though my niece was harassing me, she still is really cute and funny to hear.

I had a good time gabbing with my brother for an hour on our way to my uncle's funeral.

AWE

I watched my aunt and cousin remain composed, extremely gracious, and dignified at my uncle's funeral. My uncle held a very public profile, as he worked for the government, coached basketball, and served in their church in many capacities, from deacon to children's ministry worker. I estimate that there were about 300 people at the funeral.

I stood and watched as my cousin, Ron, and my Aunt Pat greeted a multitude of people, some of whom they did not even know. My description is lacking, but they were completely gracious, making everyone feel at ease, while maintaining a sense of social poise. I guess that I appreciate this "style" and "class" as I have to appear on the social scene with Jeff for many functions.

Ron spoke during the funeral and maintained his composure while he spoke. He really lived out his faith by genuinely being joyful about his father's passing into heaven.

SADNESS

I cried during the funeral. I saw my mom crying, and I cried some more. We sang songs about going to heaven, and I cried even more.

HUMOR

Uncle Jim was an extremely intelligent and witty man. He was famous for saying at dinner, "Let's break the bread and crack the jokes." Many jokes were told during his funeral.

-I meant to finish this one.  To the unfinished posts that were a few years delayed in the posting...