Grief I can't even begin to imagine

I received an Email from a client of mine, telling me her father had passed away. She is the oldest child in her family. She had come to this country fron France to marry her husband.

When I called her yesterday, my heart broke for her. Here she had been to France earlier to take care of her mother. She had flown back here to help her husband with some stuff, only to be on a plane back to France three days later after the death of her mother. Now, five months later, her father is gone. She can't even fly home. Her credit cards are maxed out from the last trip. They had also had to take out a loan to cover cost as well. So, here she is, managing phone calls since Sunday from her home here to France to plan the funeral of her father.

I can't even begin to fathom how that must feel. How does one deal with death from so far away? Sure, she has her husband and her friends here. But, she can't even be there to comfort her sister. I know what it's like not to have much physical contact with my family, as we're all scattered to the four winds. But, I had my friends physically nearby, and some though not physically close were closer in miles than my client is to her family. How does one begin to deal with grief from so great a distance? I'm not so sure I have a straight answer to that question.

When I told her that I was willing to offer her a free massage, she told me that she could not possibly take me up on that. She kept saying that she didn't deserve the kindness of those who were reaching out to her, because she was finding it hard to accept it, while in the midst of planning her father's funeral. So hard.

Esther Ruth is home

Well, I made it back home, sounding better than I ever did. Scott (nicknamed Stretch) put glue on me to hold me in one piece. He then braced the repair and then strung me up with new guitar strings. (I really don't know why it took four weeks.)I really sing now. Bea is amazed.

I got home on Monday. However, Bea would not let me near the computer, as we're facing home repairs on a scale that are not great. But, at least she and Bert have the life insurance money from her mother's passing to take care of things. They have a heat vent that needs repair, a hole in their ceiling that needs new dry wall put in. They have mold in the attic. The heat vent was the problem that caused the other two problems. They also had some plumbing go a bit South on them. But, all in all, it looks good, and it feels good to be back with Bea, knowing she has more gigs at which I can sing my heart out with the help of her fingers and her voice,. Oh, those gigs? Bert will be along also with his guitar and his fine voice as well.

Esther Ruth, safely snuggled in her guitar case at home.