The Pause // Death in the Family

I mentioned in my last post that my father-in-law passed away early yesterday morning.

My husband and I are in Ohio now, just for a few days. Just to be with the family. It's more busy and hectic than I realized it would be. It's nice, though, to see the support the family is getting. It's nice to be reminded that people are good--old friends stopping by with food, offering to do odd favors, awkwardly bumbling through attempts at condolences. It's sweet. Like a child trying to help a mother clean house. Not entirely helpful, from a purely objective standpoint, but sweet. I can tell it eases some of the pain. Not the things they do, but the place it comes from, a place of genuine love and support.

I know sometimes, though, all they really want is quiet. A moment to let it sink in. A moment to just feel the pain burning around the edges of their existence. It's not my pain to feel, necessarily, but I can feel that.

I just want everyone to be happier.

Now the pause between the exhale and new breath.