A sad anniversary passed quietly the weekend before last. It’s been a year since our son, Jeff, lost his wife, Mariah.
They had been married but a short time when she died. But it was clear that they were the love of each others’ lives.
We’ve all grieved this loss in our own ways over the past year. It crushed Jeff. It was also especially hard for my wife and our daughter, who had close relationships with Mariah.
I had been slow to get to know Mariah, so for me her death was primarily a deep shock. But it was a shock too far, after a year (at the time) of serious life challenges for our family. It sapped me of all energy for months. It reduced my attentiveness and effectiveness at work. While they didn’t tell me why they fired me, this could have contributed.
Jeff wound up moving back in with us while he got his life together, but now he’s ready to fly free again. It seemed almost perfect when our tenant abruptly moved out of our rental house in January. We would paint, replace carpet, and do some needed repairs, and Jeff would then rent it from us.
We’ve discovered some serious problems with the house, which I’ll write about on Wednesday. They threaten to delay or derail the plan.
We had hoped the house would be ready in time for Jeff to welcome his new daughter into the world. Yes, that’s right, Jeff is going to be a dad, and I’ll have my first grandchild. This wasn’t a planned pregnancy but this little girl is very much wanted and will be deeply loved. She should arrive in late May.
