Heaven Gained An Angel

There are a lot of wonderful things about living overseas and having the expat experience... but with any good thing comes trade-offs and sacrifices. One of the hardest things about being so far away from family when something difficult happens.

Last week my grandmother (who we called Babi, the Czech word for grandma) passed away. We knew she was struggling, but the speed at which the end came was still a surprise. And I am devasted she won't get a chance to meet Evelyn and Olivia this November when we travel there for the holidays.

Today is the funeral. And we aren't there. We discussed every option for attending - me going solo, me going with the twins, Jason and I going with the twins and leaving Madi here, all five of us going. None of them were ideal and in the end we decided that the hours of travel with such small little ones just wasn't going to be feasible. I am heartbroken that I won't be able to attend and help support my family through this difficult time.

But I am choosing to be thankful...

-Thankful that so many people are attending her funeral today to celebrate the life she lived
-Thankful that she is no longer suffering physically
-Thankful that she got a chance to meet Madi and spend time with her
-Thankful that I was able to have so much time with her to hear her stories
-Thankful that she shared with me how to cook her amazing matzo ball soup and Czech cookies
-Thankful that I got to just enjoy her and the amazing person that she was

Please keep my family, especially my dad and his wife Mary, in your prayers today.

Here is her obituary.