We had an eventful and emotional week and honestly, I'm glad its behind us. We're home now and by home I mean back in our house in Florida. I feel the need to explain this differentiation. Five years ago, my incredible, unconditionally loving Grandma passed away in North Carolina. It was hard to say the very least and in the past five years I've been extremely lax in staying in touch with my family. I didn't visit and barely called. A few of them came to my wedding two years ago and I appreciated it but it didn't encourage my lack of communication. I tried to make it a point to call my amazing Grandpa regularly but even that was hard. I missed my grandma desperately, as did my family and grandpa, and his pain felt tangible even through the phone, 600 miles away. A month ago,we got some bad news. My strong and dedicated grandpa had cancer and he had made the decision not to treat it. Not blatantly, mind you. He had told us all he would get the tests done and he would go for treatment, but we soon found out he was done. Done with doctors, done with the pain, and done living without our Grandma, his wife of over 50 years. So, on Sunday I spoke to him for the last time, on Wednesday we made our way to North Carolina, and on Thursday we laid him to rest, our beloved Grandparents together again.
This trip changed me and our family dynamic forever. It hurt to leave them this time, I cried the whole way home. I cried every time a song came on that had a single lyric about family and being home because I know I'm truly home when I'm with them. This trip changed my current novel. I'm working on a paranormal story about a small family but after this week I knew I had to change things around. My family is hilarious and loving, they like to eat and are quick to burn each other with a joke. I knew I wanted my fictional family to have those same traits. Originally, my characters, Kelly & Kevin, a brother sister duo were going to be working against each other but I changed my mind. Family should stick together.
Next Sunday, I'll begin to tell you how I got the idea for my current WIP, (Work In Progress) "Beyond the Lightning Bugs" and where the title came from. Have a safe, happy, & productive week!
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