It comes in three's... right?

Writing to stay calm. Today - no, the last hour, has batted me around a bit. First, a good friend calls and tells me she's separated from her husband. I have known this was coming, or at least thought it was, for a while. But it doesn't lessen the impact of it really happening. My heart longs to be with her right now. I hurt for her.

My mom just called. Asked if I'm OK. I said "Yes..." - I just talked to her Friday, at length. My Aunt Margaret died today. She was married to my grandpa's brother Henry, my Uncle Henry that shared my birthday. I saw Margaret once a year, always at Christmas. Every year she gave me a $10 gift card to Belk's, and lately Wal-Mart, always inside a box, wrapped in beautiful Christmas paper. She lived next door to my Nana. I haven't seen Nana and Margaret in the same room since my grandpa's funeral in 1996. They were married to two brothers, and lived next door to each other their whole lives. But they had this ongoing feud dating from the 1940's. No one has ever been able to tell me what it was about. Maybe now someone will. I liked Margaret. She was funny. Kinda brassy. To the point. Called me on it the year I didn't send her a thank-you card (thoughtless of me, I know.) I got to see her when I was home for Spring Break two months ago. A bonus visit for this year. I'm sad to know I won't get to see her again.

But worse - to me, anyway. My parents are on their way to Charleston right now - a 3 1/2 hour drive from Greenville, and it's 10:00 for them now. My brother is in the hospital with heart problems. He's 32. My dad had his first heart attack at 35. I pray that this is just an episode, something they can fix with medicine. My mom is barely holding it together - with my brother and me, she's on the edge most of the time anyway (all our "shenanigans.) I'm on call for whoever needs me. I'm going to pack now, and I might be driving to Charleston tomorrow, or maybe Edgefield to be with Nana. I don't know where I'll be needed, if at all.

So here's a benefit of being a teacher: freedom to stop on a dime, change course, and go where I need/want to be.