This Too Shall Pass

When last we left you, Fans, Clara was acting a bit bonkers.  After a respite Tuesday night, she was back--in bonkers mode that is--again Wednesday night.  Things began to reach a fever pitch when the bambini were asked to wash their hands and Clara didn't get to the sink before Joe, but still wanted to go first.  To distract Clara, Julie asked her to help close the front door.  Clara said, "No!"  So Julie closed the front door.  Turns out, Clara didn't really mean it when she said no.  Turns out, she would, in fact, have liked to close the door.  So she hung on the front door's door knob for a while wailing, before pitching herself on the ground to wail some more.  Somewhere in there, her dinner was placed on the table, and everyone else sat down to eat.  Eventually, Clara made her way over to Julie and said she was ready.  So Julie got up and headed for the bathroom to help Clara wash her hands--as Clara headed for the front door.  Turns out, she was ready to have the door opened again so she could close it.  When Julie refused the do-over, and sat back down at the table, Clara renewed her wailing.  But this second effort was shorter lived, and before too long, Clara told Julie she was ready to wash her hands.  Off the Birds went.  More tears were shed when Julie asked Clara to rinse the bubbles off her hands, but Clara was unable to do so--at least to her way of thinking--because Clara insisted on having the water on FULL FORCE, which produces water bubbles on one's hands as one rinses off soap bubbles.  Naturally, this distinction was lost on Birdie, who was left to scream about it to the towels in the bathroom.  After a time, she snuffled her way to the table and had her dinner, and when the bambini headed off to the bathtub, Julie came upstairs to blog it all up.

That's when she heard a message from Maggie, one of her second cousins, asking Julie to call.  When Julie did, we learned that Maggie's dad, Joe and Clara's Great Great Uncle Louie, had unexpectedly passed away that morning.  Julie's maternal grandfather had three sisters: Shirley, Muriel, and Nyla.  Louie was married to Nyla.  Julie had long sent Christmas cards to her three great aunts, and not long after Joe was born, we went on over to Louie and Nyla's.  Since then, all her great aunts and uncles have, as their health has permitted, shared in Joe and Clara's birthday parties and Clara's baptism, holiday parties and a summer barbecues.  Louie, Grandpa Charles, and Ted had taken to golfing on Joe and Clara's birthday weekends; they were all meant to golf this next Friday before Joe's fourth birthday party on Saturday.  Julie has been so grateful for the chance to know them all, and for them to know her, and Ted, Joe, and Clara.

There is nothing like learning that one of the kindest men you could ever hope to meet, has passed--just like that--to take the wind right out of your exasperated-grumpiness-about-a-tantrum-trifecta sails, especially one who so treasured his family that Julie, Louie's great niece--by marriage no less--always felt like Louie treated her, and her Ted, Joe, and Clara, like relations that were rather less removed than they were.

Clockwise from top left left: Bob, Louie, Nyla, Shirley, Muriel, Joe (at 4 months), and Julie.
(Ted was taking the picture.)  November 2008.