A terrible tragic night. I hate to add personal tragedy to the awful news that seems to have descended on us from every quarter, but a coincidental double loss has struck my family. My mother-in-law in Lubbock, and my stepmother in California, have both died within the past 6 hours. They had only met a few times over the last 30 years and did not really know each other except through me and my daughter. Both had been ill but I did not expect that the end would come for both of them in such close proximity.
My mother-in-law was my late wife’s mother. She never really recovered from her daughter’s premature death and had been suffering from dementia in recent years. My stepmother was my half brother’s mother. He is 26 years younger than I am.
My daughter got here from Tennessee just before her grandmother passed, which is a real blessing. Otherwise I would be out on the road trying to find her and bring her home myself.
With this in addition to my niece being caught up in the Boston atrocity (though only to help), I really feel like curling up in a ball somewhere, but I won’t. I have to go to the well at least one more time and be strong, yet again.
Needless to say, I won’t be around much for a while. I want to thank everyone in the LGF community for your unstinting support and encouragement over the past 12 years. I will be needing it now more than ever.