Coping

Erich's mom passed away on Friday afternoon. It hasn't really hit him yet, but his coping mechanisms are firmly in place. He's admitted that it's so huge that his brain just can't comprehend it. We're waiting for the results of an autopsy - Erich needs it for his own piece of mind - and then the formal arrangements will be made. Erich's current line of thinking is to have her cremated, and then spread half of her ashes into the sea in Maine, and bring the other half to be interred in the family plot in Hopedale, Mass.

Thankfully, the Providence crew contingent has been wonderful this weekend. Jason & Jen hosted a gathering on Friday night so Erich could be surrounded by everyone (since he has only a very small and scattered family, his friends are honestly his closest family in many ways). We played poker late into the night, the guys did some drinking (I stayed sober to get him home, of course), and just were there for him.

Yesterday, an already planned Dungeons & Dragons game was moved over to our house. And again, I think the community helped Erich a lot. They played from about 1 p.m. until 4:30 in the morning. I milled about a bit, going out to do some craft shopping with Teresa, baking cookies (because baking does actually make me feel better), and just taking a breather for a while to collect my own thoughts.

Everyone's been wonderful. It's times like this that you truly realize how strong friendships are a blessing. And how fleeting and precious life truly is.