My lifestyle goals were… difficult this week. In fact I completely forgot about them — with good reason.

My aunt passed away unexpectedly last Saturday. Tuesday night after work, we drove my dad up to New Jersey for the funeral on Wednesday morning.

It was a nice service, as far as these things go. My other aunt asked me to give a reading, which I was happy to do. We saw some cousins we hadn’t seen in years, and a group of us went out for a late lunch after the service.

During the viewing, my 95-year-old grandfather sat in his wheelchair near the casket, and people he either didn’t know or didn’t remember approached him to give their condolences. Each time, he took their hand and kissed it. His lifelong hearing issues have made him a quiet man, but he’s always been charming.

We have a small family, but the cousins referred to my Grandpa as Brother Ralph. It’s a moniker I recall hearing when I was younger. I have no idea where it came from, but I like it.

I mainly went for him. Seeing most of his family together gives him pure joy, even on a tough day.

It took him a moment to recognize me, but he grasped my hand firmly in both of his, squeezing with the strength of one who had worked with machines his entire life. He asked to see my wife, whose name I’m not sure he truly knows, but he wanted to see her. She came over, he kissed her hand and just said, “Beautiful,” as he always does.

It’s been a strange week. I’m looking forward to seeing The Last Jedi tonight, and then celebrating an early Christmas with the wife’s family tomorrow.

My goals remain. I need to shift focus to my read-throughs, so my writing will be sparse until I’m finished.

Goals for 12/22

1. GTFO of bed at 7am Monday-Friday
2. Read through 3 chapters
3. Write at all if possible

Steve D