Thursday Thirteen: Random Observations in the Last 24 Hours

Since everything is still crazy, I'm glad the good ol' Thursday Thirteen meme gives me a reason to resort to list-making. Here are some things I've noticed in the last 24 hours:

1. Hospice nurses are amazing people. I got to Aunt Marguerite's house within an hour of her passing. By the time I got there, the nurse had called in the time of death, arranged for the funeral home to come, and had my auntie bathed, changed, and under her favorite pink quilt. She spoke soothingly to my mother and I and felt like our best friend even though I had only met her once before and we will likely never see her again.
2. I didn't think I would ever want to be in the room with someone after they had died, but I couldn't bring myself to leave my aunt's side and sat next to her in the same spot where I used to sit when I was little and she read me stories. I also had a very hard time letting her go when the funeral home came to get her. 
3. Aunt Marguerite's home is very empty without her, even though she was a tiny woman who weighed less than 100 pounds soaking wet.
4. She had more slips, earrings, and other costume jewelry than any three people needed, but only one of them was short enough to go underneath the dress we chose and only one necklace and set of earrings really matched the outfit. I think she would be pleased with what I chose, but not with what I wore to the funeral home. (The green blouse was OK, but I paired it with jeans and clogs. )
5. She would have been more horrified to know that I wore it to the office this morning now that I have an executive position. Also, she would have been SO PROUD if she had known. But she was quite past those kind of explanations in the last few weeks.
6. At least she enjoyed having Alexis there every day. She usually greeted her with "there's my pretty baby!" I'm going to miss hearing that.
7. I'm going to miss hearing lots of things, even though she hasn't said most of them in the last couple of years.
8. I'm going to miss her, but in some ways, I've been missing her for the last few years.
9. I thought this would be a bigger relief than it actually is. Then again, my lovely Aunt Deb warned me that would be the case when I was last in Seattle. She was right. No surprise there, she usually is.
10. I'm more excited than I should be that most of my out-of-town family will be here for the funeral. But I'm always glad to see them, what can I say?
11. I'm sorry that she had to endure losing her independence through the last few years, but I am glad she survived that bad fall in 2007 that was kind of the beginning of the end for her. It gave all of us involved lots of time to get ready and lots of time to say goodbye.
12. I could write obituaries for a living, but I think I will stick to eulogizing just my loved ones.
13. This is harder than I thought it would be.