Stop it, Universe

Wow. This has been an awful week for my congregation.

First, a retired biology prof - who had been a long time member (he was retired long before I moved here), passed away. He had been in hospice and the people who visited him all said he had made his peace with his impending mortality.

Then, a lady I had known from church, who had developed Alzheimer's and had gone to live in a care facility near her children passed. While I'm sad she's gone, I was sadder when she developed Alzheimer's and could no longer function on her own. I almost think of the point when Alzheimer's gets severe as the real "grief point," because the person you care about and know is slowly slipping away. (And in a way, it's almost a blessing when someone who gets to the point she had gotten to dies...)

Now, Mr. B., (I think I referred to him as J. before - that's his first initial), the man from my Sunday school class. The minister said in his e-mail that Mr. B.'s passing was "peaceful" but still, it makes me sad. (Well, right now I'm more shocked than sad, because for a while it looked like Mr. B. was going to pull through - he had heart surgery, went downhill, seemed to be getting better....)

I'm already on-deck for cookies and help at the reception for Dr. K., and I'm expecting to need to make cookies for Mrs. O.'s reception.

But, wow. Three deaths in one week. I realize that we're an aging congregation, but still.

Their families are in all of my prayers. And wow, is there going to be a big gaping hole in the Sunday school class when we all realize Mr. B. won't be coming back.

I hope it's true what they say about deaths coming in threes, and that we'll be spared for a while. I always find it hard to wrap my head around the "I was talking with this person just a few weeks ago and now they're gone" - especially Mr. B., who was actually doing okay before he went in for surgery.