Bereavement

Okay, so this week was NOT the best week to begin with. First, two of my family members passed away quite suddenly. Then my place of employment wouldn't let me have time off to go home, because neither were immediate family members, and everyone knows that the closer you're related to someone, the closer they are to you. Right? Oh, wait, that's not right at all. Funerals are meant to be a celebration for the living, a chance to show those that survived the loved one that they too are loved. I was unable to be there for my Auntie Imogene, who's 90 by the by, and I love more than I love my own grandmother (her sister) all because her son isn't my "immediate family." Same goes for my Nanny Dee, who isn't even really a relative- just a woman that has helped to shape my mother's life tremendously, suffered a stroke, suffered the loss of BOTH of her children within two years of each other, and is still kicking more ass than I ever hope to. The problem with rules regarding bereavement is that, more often than not, the family member you miss the most doesn't fall into the categories covered. So now I'm going to take a two-day whirlwind trip home, strictly for the purpose of seeing two women that lost more than I can imagine having.