photo by Svenstorm
My 90 year old grandmother passed away and death came in like a wind and swept us off our feet. We caught our breath and picked ourselves up. Now, there are moments that feel completely normal and then a flood of memories, a conversation, a thought out of nowhere, and we are jolted back to reality.
Death shocks, like a slap in the face. Then it retreats while we attend to the things that must be done. It comes again and taunts for but a moment. It whirls and swirls in the back of your mind while the days go on. It rears it’s ugly head whenever it can, but life carries on.
So, we stopped. As a family, we stopped. We laughed, we cried, and we started to heal. We supported each other through a time of sorrow. A great deal of learning happened, but it didn’t happen the traditional way.
We learned about family. We got to meet many people from my Nana’s past and learn so much about her history from the story telling and reminiscing that was happening.
We learned about death. The older boys got to see and touch a dead body. I know that sounds creepy, but it worked for them. We discussed death as a normal part of life because that is what it is. It doesn’t have to be scary or creepy and it wasn’t.
We learned about funerals. We had more than one field trip to the funeral home. My oldest son got to ask any questions that he wanted, to the owner of the funeral home, during one trip there with his Grandma.
The kids had a long ride in a limo which they thoroughly enjoyed.
We visited the grave side and learned about burials and traditions. We had discussions about how the Egyptians buried their bodies and compared that to how it is done today.
We had many family discussions. We answered loads of questions. Life kept going – but we modified it. We stepped back from outside obligations and just hung out and cared for each other as a family. It was the healthiest thing we could have done. We were all exhausted emotionally and not having any outside responsibilities was really good for us during this time.
How do you deal with times of crisis as a homeschooling family?
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We had a horrible thing happen to our family earlier this year and responded in exactly the same manner. Your description of grief and pain stalking you was precisely what I felt. I count it a blessing of homeschooling that we could batten down the hatches, work through the trauma, and begin to deal with a greatly altered reality. I’m so sorry about your grandmother’s death, and pray that you will all continue to heal.
Thank you for your wonderful post,
Ana
Ana´s last [type] ..“Don’t worry- she’ll hold together!”
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