Oh the stress of it all. The last two weeks have brought a myriad of emotional moments to my otherwise quiet life.
From joy and happiness to sadness and tension, from a funeral to a birthday party and everything in between, the emotions have run high. I feel like I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster.
Now that it appears to have stopped, I am simply drained and trying to recoup a little energy from the wild ride.
First there was joy. As I shared with you a few weeks back, I have started an exercise routine, and it appears to be working.
When I went to the doctor week before last, I had dropped almost 5 pounds, and my blood pressure was down so much that he told me if I kept going in this direction, he would begin pulling back the medication. What a relief!
That kind of news just spurs me to do more when it comes to staying fit. It makes the miles I walk every day a lot easier to handle.
The joy and excitement, however, was short-lived.
Just days after my doctor’s appointment, mother called with the news that my uncle had passed away. Uncle “Bunnie,” as we affectionately called him, had been in the hospital for almost three months facing numerous health issues.
I can almost hear your thoughts now: “What kind of name is “Bunnie?” His real name was J.D. Humphryes, but he was known as “Bunnie” to everyone who loved him.
I have no idea how he got the nickname. I just know he was a very tall, quiet man who loved everyone.
The minister described my uncle best during the graveside services last Friday.
Uncle Bunnie was a logger, and he had cut a tree for the minister. When the tree fell, it almost hit the minister’s home. Uncle Bunnie calmly watched and appeared to be unfazed by what had happened. He simply looked at the minister and said in his quiet voice that showed little emotion, “That tree almost hit your house.”
He was that kind of man. He never got caught up in the drama life brings. He was calm, patient and thoughtful about everything he did and said. Nothing ever seemed to shake him.
But the news of his death shook me and my family.
This was my dad’s last brother, and they were close. I was more upset thinking about how my dad was handling the news than I was for my own loss.
As I visited with family at the funeral home and cemetery, we all realized how small the Humphryes clan is getting. Our large family has had numerous losses in the past 10 years, and there are not many of us left.
I guess that comes with age, but it sure doesn’t make it any easier.
Luckily, our sadness turned to joy on Saturday as we celebrated my niece’s first birthday.
Sometimes God sends us things or people when we need them the most, and my niece has been the highlight of Daddy’s life since she came into this world on May 1, 2008.
He was especially attentive to her Saturday. I think it helped him work through the sadness of losing his brother.
There’s no doubt that Kinsley is Paw Paw’s little angel, and she couldn’t have come along at a better time.
After three days of funeral and birthday, I was ready to head home for some rest, but the weather didn’t cooperate.
My trip was delayed a day as I tried to travel between thunderstorms and tornadoes that were popping up all over Mississippi and Alabama. It was a tense drive, as I hit patches of torrential rain along the way.
I finally made it home Sunday afternoon, only to be faced with coverage of a heated election Tuesday. What drama.
There’s nothing better than an election to bring out people’s emotions and tempers, and this one was no exception.
So this weekend, after all the fireworks and sadness of the weeks past, I am kicking back for a little rest and relaxation.
I will think of my uncle, wishing I could handle life as he did n with calm assurance and patience. That would make the stress that life most certainly will bring a lot easier to deal with.
