The highs are high and the lows are low

It's been quite a rough week. Wow, that was a massive understatement right there.  In the past week, my grandmother died, we had a mini family reunion, the weather launched itself right into the middle of spring and work remained...work.  Join me now for the first ever edition of The Week That Was...

Let's face it.  Parts of the past week sucked.  Grandma died.  That MAJORLY sucked.  But some positives were associated with it: 

1. All ten (yes, ten) great-grand children were together for the first time.  And it was...chaotic, funny and beautiful all at the same time.  It was also terribly ironic but that is the cynic in me and I just don't feel like going there right now.
2. The outpouring of love.  WOW.  SO MANY PEOPLE came.  I knew that Gram touched many lives and had many friends and interests but it was all abstract.  It was right then that I started to understand how wonderfully complex and rich Gram's life was and the lasting influence that she had on others.   If I can be half the woman she was it will be quite a successful life indeed.
3. Mom and Dad and AJ's friends.  They ALL came.  Some I had known for years, some I just met for the first time but all had known Gram and the deep and abiding love her children have for her.  (Yes, I deliberately left that in the present tense.  Wanna make something of it?)
4. My cousins' children.  They were so darn cute!  Plus I got an idea as to how Noah will look in a year:  huge.  My youngest cousin's oldest son is 18 months old and wears a size 3T.  How in the name of Merlin's tighty-whities is that even possible?  But he is so unbelievably cute and loves playing.  In fact my arms are still sore from lifting him up over my head 4 days ago!

Then there were the parts that thinking back on, I'm kind of ashamed of how I acted.  My very estranged uncle and his wife came.  I hadn't seen her in a good 25 years and the first thing that I hissed to my sister?  I can't believe THAT WOMAN had the nerve to come!  How unbelievably uncharitable was that?  I should have gone up, reintroduced myself, talked to her, let bygones be bygones.  But I was wallowing in my own grief and self-righteousness and let the opportunity slip by.  Gram has got to be so disappointed in me.  And she has every right to be.  Family was the most important thing to her and I let the pettiness of old grudges trump doing the right thing.  And I'm so sorry Gram.  So very, very sorry.