Because this week couldn't get any crazier

And so, in the midst of all the craziness of my father being in the hospital, my grandmother died this morning. As in my Little Grandma, the one who was living with my parents in my old bedroom. I'm still in shock right now, but mostly I'm doing better than I expected, especially because when I got a phone call from my sister at 6:30 this morning, it was a relief to hear that the news was about my 90-year-old grandmother (we've been preparing ourselves for this for a long time) than about my father.

And so now I'm weighing everything differently. I'm taking advantage of the shock (when I go into shock I become very businesslike and busy and matter-of-fact) and get this conference paper edited for publication, as it's due on Monday and so I can't leave it at all. Then, I'm going to start e-mailing professors, to notify them that things are going to be in upheaval for me for a while. I won't be flying back to Saskatchewan yet; we'll need to know when Dad's going to be out of the hospital before we can start planning when the funeral will be. It'll probably be a couple weeks (Dad's thinking three weeks). But I know that I won't be able to do anything for the next few days, and that I need to allow myself that space. (I've learned a lot about what I need when I'm mourning, thanks to the past several years. I especially know what to expect, after Grandpa died. I know that I'll try to keep working, and then get frustrated that I'm not getting enough done. I will then surprise myself by how hard I'm taking things, and finally start taking care of myself. I'm getting a head start this time by planning on taking care of myself.)

So, for those who are praying, please continue to pray for my father, as they figure out the best way to get his body to expel carbon dioxide. Please pray that they don't have to do anything too drastic. And that he recovers quickly. Other than that, please pray for the rest of my family, and especially my mother, who takes care of everyone and everything. I have a very good family, and they have been amazing me this week.

And I'm sorry to anyone who found out through my blog. We're trying to notify everyone quickly.