Temporary Bachelor

My mother-in-law died on December 26, and my wife, Val has gone to Germany to help her sister with Mom's estate, and be at the funeral, which was on the 13th. Mom-in-law was 91 when she died, with her daughter Irmgard by her side, in her own home, which is where she wanted to be. My sister-in-law reports that it was a peaceful death --- she was concious up until the last two or three minutes and seemed content. She went to meet her husband, Otto, who preceded her in death by 60 years, a civilian casualty of the Russian conquest of East Germany. She never remarried. She once told me of a very vivid dream she had had, which was of meeting Otto again in a place that was blinding white. I imagine that it was a premonition.

Val is away, and I have the house to myself, a temporary bachelor. Fortunately, we still have some of our children, adults, still living with us, so it isn't lonely. But without my sweetheart here it is very disorienting. I guess I can see now why people who are married seek to re-marry after divorce or death of their spouse. With Val in Germany for two weeks, I feel very much disconnected from life. Without her presence life seems much less meaningful. The scripture says "It is not good for man to be alone," and that is never so clear to me as it is when Val is away. This bachelorhood helps me appreciate her so much.