Rest in Peace...my dear sweet Nonno

My last living grandparent passed yesterday. My Nonno was 92 years old, and he was my mom's dad. He passed peacefully in his sleep and felt no pain...really, that's the way to go if you ask me. He lived 9 long years without his wife, my grandmother and he missed her every moment. He's in a better place, with her, and I am at peace with the whole thing.
I'm sad for my mom, as he was her "charge" and she looked after him, much the way she raised her 3 children and helped me with my 2. My mom is a care-giver by nature, that's her gig and she's good at it, so unlike me. Ha!
Since it's Holy Week, we're not able to bury him until next Monday (OY!)...so it's going to be a little of a long week for us all. And our vacation to the Dominican Republic has been canceled, since we were leaving Saturday for a week away....we couldn't do that to my grandfather. We'll go another time.
Please say a prayer for him, Mario Urbanelli...he was very special and he will be missed.

Coughing, my Grandfather and Driving

So, I have this cough...not like a hacking cough when you're sick...but an annoying allergy ( I suspect) driven cough. I don't cough all the time, and it's not wet or yucky...but I have fits that last up to 20 minutes of relentless coughing...short little coughs that go on so long that I have trouble catching my breath, talking, etc....Benji keeps going "Bless You Mommy" each time I cough for more than a few minutes...he thinks I'm sneezing b/c it's so repetitive.
Annoying doesn't really begin to describe it...keeps me up and wakes me from a sound sleep. So I'm cranky to boot!
But I'll be fine....it can't last forever can it?
Other goings on...my mother's birthday was last week, so we went to see her yesterday and went out for a really nice dinner.
My grandfather (he's my mom's dad and he's 92) fell on Friday and required surgery to fix his hip from the fall. He didn't need it replaced, but it had to be repaired. He's going to be in the hospital for a little bit. I went down to my mom's alone on Saturday to stay with my brother and sister, who were visiting for the weekend, and they can't stay alone, they both are fully affected by FX. That way, my mom could stay at the hospital all day with my grandfather. My dad relieved me when he closed his barber shop and I went home to be with my family.
So I'm driving home and I'm thinking....I'm an hour from my home...the hospital is an hour (in the opposite direction of my house) from my parents. It overwhelms me sometimes...the distance. Granted, we're not on opposite coasts...but we're not 2 block away from each other either. It's far away enough that...after going there and home Saturday, there (after soccer), to the hospital to visit and home yesterday... there's almost 400 miles on my car in 36 hours!
Lucky I guess that we have cars and can drive to where we need to be. I think about my mom...66 years old...drives more now and far away ( 65 miles between our homes...PA to NJ) and yet I think back to when I was growing up and she never drove anywhere more than a few miles...ironic. She goes anywhere...bless her heart. When I need her, she comes. I glad for a change, that she needed me, and I was able to help.
Anthony had to manage the boys, but they're so well behaved for him, and they had a soccer game in the middle of the afternoon, so they were busy.
It was busy....please keep my grandfather in your thoughts....I just don't want him to suffer more than he needs to. He's 92 and has had a very long, very full life.