Yesterday was a day of doing, making phone calls, and delegating.  Karran, Bena and Mom went to buy the groceries for the dinner after Thursday’s memorial service and with good fortune, they got everything they needed.  Sophie and Darwin went to Mom’s house to meet the movers so that’s now complete.  Robin washed out the garage and the sunroom in preparation for the cooking and set up the gas burner for cooking the puri.  I didn’t really need to have the sunroom floor washed for tomorrow but I would have needed to do it anyway so I just added that to his list so that I don’t have to do it next week (haha). 

I spent most of the day making or receiving phone calls but in the end, it was all very productive. Chris Singh has offered to organize the cooking crew.  Ram and Dolly Dyal have offered to organize the area where the memorial service will take place.  Sunita is arriving on Wednesday evening so one of us will pick her up.  The crew for cooking the puri at my home is arranged for Wednesday evening and the meal to feed them before they start cooking is also arranged.  It’s difficult to know how many people will attend so I am preparing for 150.  Everyone says it’s too much but that’s what I am comfortable with so that’s what it’ll be.  

Aunties Maggie and Rosaline are coming on Thursday morning but since the pooja will be taking place at the same time, I’ve asked them to take a taxi to my home where they’ll be staying for 10 days. They’ll be bringing some veggies from Toronto on Thursday for next Sunday’s 13 day pooja. I made all the necessary calls to confirm the people for Thursday’s program, proof-read the document again and again and… (well you get the point) and emailed the program to Staples to be printed.  I got confirmation this morning that it’s ready.

I went to bed last night thinking of what I am going to say at Dad’s eulogy but nothing came into my head or more precisely, everything came into my head.  If I said everything I want to say, I’d have everyone there for a week at least so as with just about everything important that I do, I over prepare.  Last night Dad was talking to me in my dream and I woke up this morning knowing exactly what I am going to say.  I am not going to write anything down, so for those of you who have asked for the speech, there won’t be a written one. I do hope however, to record it.

It’s a quiet day at home today so I told mom to take the time to get some rest and same goes for Bena, Sophie and Karran. I came into work to do some work and think about something other than what I have been doing all of last week.  I also need to borrow a data projector, a screen, and a video camera from the library.  I was racking my brain to think of where I could purchase some take-out containers for giving away food at the end of the dinner and when I came to work today, the answer came.  I went to the Food Services department and bought some.  Easy. 

Now I just have to schedule some time for me to sleep. I was thinking that I could slot it in for next week – all week – but I don’t think my boss (who has been extraordinarily supportive throughout the last few months) would go for that.  Maybe I could come to work and sleep at my desk.  Or under.  Or I could sleep with my eyes open.  I wonder if anyone would notice.  

I am taking this time to acknowledge the contributions from my family for all they have done in the last week to help out with everything.  I’ve been so immersed in Dad’s illness for so long that I have just carried on doing and delegating and they have ALL been good at doing what they are asked to or offering to help others if needed.  That has made things easy for me because we have not had disagreements about how things should be done.  We are all being respectful of each other’s feelings and contributions.  That’s what we told Dad last Tuesday – that whatever disagreements we may have as kids over the years, we have always looked out for each other and we’ll continue to look out for mom and each other.  That’s a promise I hope to keep on keeping.