I Can't Wait For Next Year

Recently I jokingly tweeted, "The bad news just won't stop. It's official. March '11 sucks. I can't wait for next year. What can possibly go wrong in 2012?"

It's only 3 months into 2011 and I'm already looking forward to next year. To say we've had a trying month would be an understatement.

First there's the stolen rims/tires thing. We've finally gotten the car back but we won't feel safe parking it here again until some security motion lights have been installed on the house. Still a work in progress...

Then there's the wanting-to-get-the-hell-out-of-here-move thing. Too bad the housing market is in the tubes and foreclosures have brought down our property value so low that we're underwater. There are so many nice houses in better cities but we can't afford to eat the losses on selling this house. Also a work in progress...

Most importantly, Tary's grandfather suffered his 2nd stroke early last week. Relatives flew in to pay their last respects. After being taken off of life support and brought back home, he fought right to the end. I prayed to God for mercy on Tary's grandfather. March 24th (Thursday) at around 10:20 PM, he passed away quietly around loved ones.

We spent several hours at a local Buddhist temple the following night while monks performed various chants for his soul. Of course I do not believe in these things as a born-again Christian but it was important to me that I was there for the family.

In Buddhism, it is common for the first-born son to shave his head in mourning his father's death. Having no immediate candidates, the male cousins all agreed to have their heads shaved. Tary's grandmother also had her head shaved.

Early the next morning, we returned to the temple. The cousins were now dressed in traditional monk clothing and were monks-for-the-day. At that point, they were "blessed" and had to avoid all contact with females. I have a lot of respect for what the cousins did to try to honor their grandfather’s memory.

The family gathered together a few times to have our pictures taken. There was a videographer recording the events as well. I also was asked to record what I could on our camcorder. It was hard for me to film people as they were grieving. I tried to focus on capturing what I thought Daniel would want to see when he got older; that his great-grandfather was loved by many and was deeply missed.

After a short drive across town to the cemetery, the monks (and monks-for-the-day) walked around the burial site several times while chanting and pushing the casket. I walked alongside Tary while holding Daniel in my arms. It was cold. After the monks stopped, I brought Daniel back to the car to stay warm. I had to watch the rest of the funeral from there. I wish I could have been there for Tary.

After the funeral we had a catered lunch at a nearby restaurant. I felt bad for Tary because she had to sit with her family while the monks performed some more chants while the rest of the guests ate.

It was a long day for everyone..