Just when we thought...

... life couldn't get any more crazy.

It did. Our Ethiopia trip saga will continue once life settles down again. For now, you'll have to be satisfied with ordinary (and not so much) everyday stuff.

This past Friday, while marking our one-week-home milestone (woohoo!), also brought the news that my grandfather (Opa) is doing extremely badly. Opa has had type-2 diabetes for most of his life, and was diagnosed with cancer of the plasma cells several years ago. He and my Oma moved down to South this past July, and it seems that he has been in a steady decline ever since.

For several months it's been a roller coaster, with him getting better and worse alternately. It's been incredibly hard for all of us (most especially Oma), but true death (as opposed to the kind we just talk about in hushed voices) was not supposed to happen for a good, long while.
So, it was difficult (BIG understatement there), when my uncle called Daddy on Friday, and told him one of Opa's nurses had called him and said basically, "if it was my dad, I'd want to see him now". Needless to say, Daddy flew down there Saturday to see Opa, and say goodbye.

Sunday, J and I got to "talk" to Opa. Wherein we talked, and heard some noise on the other end, but were told he mostly just smiled at us.
Oh, my. That was difficult.

Opa has always been the kind of grandpa you rake leaves with, and who pushes you on the swing, and has his own familiar smell.
To think that he might soon be with our Lord is as comforting as it is hard. He is in so much pain right now, we think heaven is much better for him at this point :).
We are not expecting him to stay with us for much longer, and poor, poor E BEGGED Daddy to take her with him to see Opa, so she could see him, and love on him. She loves him so very much, as do we all. Would that we could all go, but what with either having to drive, or buy plane tickets for 10 (and probably completely freak out B and M in the process), it was determined that we would stay home.
It breaks my heart that Opa might not get to see his two newest grandchildren, and that they might never know him (or at least never remember him), but I am at peace, knowing God is in control.

I am praying for peace and comfort for our family. Will you pray with us?