Cousin Kay and I had been planning to take her niece, Rissa, to Sheridan, Wyoming to participate in the Snicker's Cup Soccer Tournament this weekend. We were also going to take Rissa's siblings, Eric and Sadie Rose, along with us. Although Kay goes to most of Rissa's home games, I hadn't been able to attend one yet. This was our chance to hang out together, spoil the kids rotten and spend some quality cousin time together. Kay said the kids were more excited about the trip than Christmas, and I have to say I was pretty jazzed myself.
Cousin Kay's brother Gary had been in the hospital for about a week suffering from a blood clot in his lung. He had been feeling much better and spoke of going home soon. Late Thursday night a blood vessel in his brain ruptured and he was put on a ventilator. He died around 10 am Friday morning.
As always, Kay was the rock of the family. She spent all day making funeral arrangements and comforting her brother's adult children. She and I kept in touch, trying to decide whether or not we should attend the tournament. In the end, after much soul searching and discussion, we decided to go because it meant so much to the children.
Rissa's team did really well and Rissa, Sadie and Eric had a good time. Kay and I talked for hours and doted on the kids. Even though the decision to go was a tough one, we were really glad we went. 
As our mom's used to say, bury the dead and tend to the living.
