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Dad and I flew back today. Ernie and Helen brought us to the airport. They are friends of mom and dads who have been such a great support to them in Arizona. It has been nice to know that there were people in Arizona who love mom and dad as we do. Maraming salamat po!

I was excited to be coming home, yet worried about what it would be like. Every step of the way, we kept thinking about mom. It was so different traveling without mom.

Dad kept saying, “This is the first time that I have flown without mom.”

I swung by my house before heading to Tacoma, and was surprised by a gift from my roommate Ian, his girlfriend Joy, and my girlfriend Melissa. Together they cleaned up the whole yard as well as inside of the house… what a special gift. Thanks guys… you are truly a blessing! (Dad told me later that Priscilla and Tony, Uncle Cesar and Uncle Benny, as well as their neighbor Dean had all taken turns working on the landscaping in dads yard too:-) )

When we got back to the house in Tacoma, I went downstairs. When we met as a family with mom regarding things for after she passed away, such as finances, funeral etc. Paul and Christine agreed to handle all the business type stuff.

In Arizona, we were all kind of worried because we looked at the paperwork that was with mom, and Paul seemed concerned that there wasn’t enough information there, Christine was worried that she might miss payments and that she would have to wait for a months cycle to see what bills were due.

I went down into the office when we got back, and under the desk was a laundry hamper full of notebooks. Each one carefully labeled… credit, bills, investments, real estate, insurance, pictures. Inside each notebook were tabs… and each notebook was current. Again I was reduced to tears wondering when mom had time to do all of this… and then realizing that she was doing this, WHILE she was sick, and receiving treatment. All those nights when I would call and find out she had been up all night… she was making sure that things would be easy for us when she was gone.

She even had a section in one notebook on planning a funeral. I went down to the basement and sitting on the coffee table were two photo album/scrapbooks that she had put together of her life and our family over the years.

I just wish I could thank her.

I think she knew she might not be returning to Tacoma, but even facing the end of her life… she put others first.

Our cousins from the Cesar Gatbunton family (including uncle Cesar and Tita Martha) came over to welcome us home, bringing groceries and a home cooked dinner. It was nice to be with family after being alone down in Arizona for a couple days.

We all cried at times today. Grief is interesting. I haven’t even come close to figuring it out yet. It all seems so surreal at times, and then when reality hits is when the tears come, so you do whatever you can to distract yourself, and you do that by keeping busy, pretending things are “normal”… but still the grief breaks thru and the tears come.

Thank you for the prayers, we are so humbled and blessed.

Love, Michael