Difficult Day

Hello from Idaho.

Today was Echo's funeral; it's been a long day, quite emotional. The week, in general, has been. Since I heard the news on Monday morning, I've alternated between busyness (cancelling Wednesday and Thursday lessons, packing, choir, etc.) and just sitting around. It's been odd.

Yesterday, we got up early and got on the road. The drive across Nevada felt endless; but we kept the music playing, and we chatted here and there. My response to stress is to find hilarity, so there was some laughter.

We got into Twin Falls in the early evening. My cousin Merlyn came up from Utah with her friend Trish, and they are at the same hotel as we are, so we all caught up for a bit before having a late dinner with Aaron, Susanne and Tyson.

Today, it was up early again (not that I slept all that well on those too-soft hotel pillows!). After breakfast, we all headed over to Jerome, across the Snake River Gorge from Twin Falls. Aaron and Co. live there, and we went straight to their church.

The service was lovely. The church was packed. The girls from Echo's Young Women's group sang, some family members spoke about her. Her biological sister was there, and it was hard to witness her grief...so heartbreaking.

After the service, we joined the funeral procession to the cemetery. Echo was in a pink coffin with a huge spray of pink daisies, carnations and roses on top, and a small Hello Kitty toy (her favorite).

My emotions have been incredible today. There was unwarrented anger when the service was a few minutes late in starting because someone was late. There was overwhelming sadness listening to Echo's sister. I broke down crying for real when the girls started singing, all while tears fell down their faces. There was laughter as I heard a story about Echo once telling someone she had lots of hugs to spare.

At the cemetery, I kissed my fingers and lay them on Echo's casket. I thought of the injustice of a girl going through everything she went through before she was adopted by Aaron and Susanne, and the struggle it presented her for the rest of her too-short life. I wished her peace now that she is gone.

I have laughed and cried today. I have folded my arms and legs up tight in resentment and sat relaxed and secure. I feel a bit like a wet dishrag, wrung out, sour, thrown back in the sink.

Still, I'm staying positive. When we got back to the hotel, I changed into my jeans and running shoes and walked about a mile down to the Snake River Gorge to take some pictures. I can't wait to upload them to my computer and put them here. I took out my ridiculous rubber duck and got some pictures of him.

Tomorrow we will make the tedious drive back across Nevada. I will be so happy to cross back into California. Lord knows that state isn't perfect, and we're nuttier than squirrel poo, but it's home.

Big thanks to everyone who has been there for me this week. It's been an emotional roller coaster and my response to that is usually a mix of whining and hilarity. When I blogged recently that I hadn't had any adventures in a while...this wasn't exactly what I had in mind...but life is strange, isn't it?