Tuesdays With Jo

Dear Mother Jaskey, 

It's a chilly evening. The heaters are blasting. The thermometer says -13C but the weather app says a windchill of -19C.

What a year this last week has been. Grandpa Esau passed away peacefully on Sunday after a week of poor health and a sharp decline. He had been told in August that he had congestive heart failure and that he had 6 months to a year left. Somehow it feels shocking. Only a week ago I was kneeling by his chair feeding him blended up lentil soup. He didn't have the strength.

Last week felt gloomy and overcast every day. In reality Grandpa's life hung in the balance. And so did Ben Ginther's. So working together with Paul's and Jeff's on the school board was... heavy. Ben is feeling better, praise God. Grandpa is safely home, praise God. 

Imagine our surprise to find out only yesterday that Grandpa tested positive for that ugly word. The phonecalls that ensue. The weight. The no funeral. The quarantinement for some. The aloneness for grieving people. The joy that Grandpa's battles are over. 

But let's talk about other things. Jay's came to visit us Sunday evening. Linda brought us soup and biscuits today. Nicole and Isla came to stay with Arlens. I guess I'm always circling back.

I did books today in the shop. And wrote out Christmas cards. And Colby and Zach went to Jeff's to help build Grandpa's casket. There. I did it again. 

I guess its where we're at.

Love

Jo

P.S. Grandpa used to sing with a group, a quartet in Linden and they called themselves the Groaners. 

P.P.S. The day Grandpa went to Outlook on the ambulance he waved to Pat and I and said, "I love you". It felt like goodbye. 

P.P.P.S. Wyatt brought me a little toy chest on Sunday evening. He had wrapped a dead fly in a kleenex and put it carefully inside.