We had Bill's funeral friday. It was our anniversary and I couldn't bare to spend it without him even if it was for this.
Anything that could go wrong did of course. We had the hearse driver from Hell who drove 85 while we tried to keep up for an almost 2 hour long ride from the viewing at the funeral home to the cemetery. Good thing Bill's nickname was Speed Racer! There had been an accident at the exit to the cemetery 2-3 hours before and the idiot couldn't figure out that it was probably clear by then and couldn't find his way back one exit passed the one we needed. He got upset when not one of us had our gps systems with us, so my youngest daughter tried to give him her phone which has one. He said he'd just follow us! Blind leading the stupid, I had to lead him! It's no wonder that man drives a hearse. No people skills. Forget grieving when you'd mad as %$@%.
I didn't have a copy of a pic I wanted to put in the drawer of the casket, so I hooked up the printer and set up some pics of all of us and the dumb thing wouldn't do squat. I managed to find some copies of them all on regular printer paper, but I don't think he will mind. I didn't get a copy of a pic of our grand daughter Makayla. She was Grandpa's girl and I feel terrible. I let her put a picture of Bill and I and my kids in so she could do something. I wrote him a note. I just couldn't get a letter written. Everytime I tried I just went blank and couldn't get out what I wanted to say.
His daughter didn't get on her flight. My daughter set it up for the next day and she said she'd be here. She didn't show and haven't heard from her.
I met my youngest stepson! Now I have a 23 year old son and a 23 year old daughter. So strange how not being around his dad for most of his life that he has sooooo much in common. We tried to keep him. LOL Maybe next time. His new sisters kept him really busy and they had a great time. And he did something VERY cool and VERY Bill! They gave me like 5 minutes to try to come up with the scripture for his marker. My daughter Oriana took the binder with the sayings and Paul took the clipboard. I'm a binder person and Bill has clipboards all over the place. He worked with a lot of those in the hospitals. Anyway I noticed a saying that I liked, but it seemed kind of selfish when I glanced at it so I didn't say anything. Oriana didn't see anything and they said they'd give us till today actually to decide. When she asked Paul if he saw one he turned the clipboard around and pointed at exactly the same one. He said "this is how you feel about him and I think it's the one. Bill would do that to me. I could see something somewhere and one day he'd just walk in with it. He'd pick out exactly the same things I would pick out and always know what I would like. OK except some watches for Christmas once, but that was my fault. Even longer story than this one.
I couldn't find anyone to record the service, but my granddaughter caught it on my daughter's phone for me. LOW memory on my laptop, so I can't have her email it and watch it.
When they say a maximum of 30 minutes for a service they mean it. there were others waiting for services when we got there and more arriving when we left.
We loved Texas Roadhouse. My daughter worked with them to makeup a special menu that she could afford and most of us went after the service to eat. My food is still in the fridge. She also make a cake that I wish he had been alive to see. It was a really Bill Riley cake. Parachuting GI Joe and Harley's. LOL She covered it in camoflauge fondant. It was fantastic!
Bill's counceler attended everything. He is so sweet and Bill really liked him. He was very emotional about Bill. He truely appreciated his service and his life. I love him. He has a new baby boy, his third. We're gonna adopt him into the family and he said he'd be there for me forever. That felt really good. Today I went through the nightmare of Social Security. ARRRGGGGG!!!! I quality for diddly! Oh well. Tomorrow I go to the VA. Derek is going with me. He said he didn't want to impose, but he wanted to help and I'm so thankful he is there for me. He wants to make sure I get everything I should get and he's going to help me fill in everything and help with questions. Derek was a Marine (I know.............ALWAYS A MARINE)......He lost his leg before coming back and helping people like Bill that have been feeling forgotten for decades. He is truely an amazing young man with a huge heart, just like Bill's. I was talking to him this evening and I said something about Bill not getting half of what he deserved. I said he always gave so much and got so little in comparison. He told me to stop and think about what I had just said. He asked me what that told me. He said that's the way Bill did everything and he did it out of love. There was no way to do more for him. He always would have had to do even more. I read him the last lines in Bill's journal. It was about having another counceler leave the center and the new one hadn't even called him to introduce himself or check on him. The last line was " Seems the only one who has not abandoned me is Derek McGinnis @ the Vet Center. The PTSD was tearing him up, but he knew Derek was there for him any time. Now he's offered to be there for us and he is a Godsend!
The day after the funeral was our granddaughter's 1st birthday and we took Paul with us to the party. Grandpa wouldn't want his Princess to not get her first birthday party on time. Since he's been gone she keeps looking toward the hall where he used to wave and make faces at her while she sat in her highchair eating and she points and smiles and giggles and yells GRANDPA! I wish I could see him too. So far all I've seen are shadows on the ceiling that like like him surrounded by other faces and a shadow of one of his tatoos. My 23 year old has seen him twice in the hallway here at the house and she says she wished he would stop, because he knows she scares easy. Makayla came screaming saying she saw arms in the hallway with Grandpa's tatoos, but I told her if grandpa is here, she's safe and she was happy and releaved with that.
After evryone had left, 2 of my girls, my grandsons and their friends and Bill's son played basketball and football. I sat on the curb with my 4 year old granddaughter and watched. I laughed and cried back and forth. We had always wanted our kids to get together and I couldn't help thinking how happy he would have been to finally see this. Kind of bitter sweet, but it was wonderful and fun. It was also empty without Bill there to share it with me.
We took Paul to the airpot yesterday and he flew back to PA. We made him promise to come back and I'm praying that he will.
Everyone is back to their lives and I'm wondering what I'm going to do with mine and what's going to happen next. I'm exhausted. I can't think straight and I'm sooooo lonely without him here to talk to me. I can't EVER see this getting better. EVER! How have those of you that have been there go on??? I honestly have not been able to feel my heartbeat. I've checked for it. Nothing! I have a knot in my chest where it used to be. I was so worried for so long about what was going to happen to us and when he convienced me we were finally going to be fine..........He was gone the next morning. I took a breath and felt some relief and I shouldn't have. It only lasted until I woke up the next morning.
I had a dream the other night. I don't really remember it, but there was a woman in it. I knew who it was when I was asleep, but for the life of me I can't remember it. I do remember she was talking on and on and I couldn't understand her. I don't know if I was waking up or if I woke up after I heard it but my eyes flew open after I thought I heard him say " Honey, you're going to love it up here." I think I'm losing it, but I've always been terrified to die and now..........I feel like I'm just here for a little while until it's my turn and then everything will finally be alright. Stupid maybe, but I really think it was him and I keep trying to hear him again.Just wish I wasn't having a hard time sleeping again.
ummmm................wonder if this will even post? Guess I'll find out. Come on memory, let it post!