We do death well….our family. Let it bare its teeth at one of us, and we drive in from far and near and go to work. Just recently we gardened, repainted a whole inside interior, cleaned, scrubbed, washed, and waxed the house of one of our own, whose husband just committed suicide. We let go of political or any bias and worked to make her home something she could come back to—brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers. I love that in us, this clan tribe thing we can summon up when the chip is down and busted.
I was reminded of the long-ago autumn melanoma locked its pitbull jaws into my sister, and we knew it was over. We drove in from far and wide on clear autumn weekends, kids tumbling out of cars like a clown act, and gardened and cleaned and talked and cooked and did whatever we could for her. We loved her to death.
Karleen Koen — writing life 
Yours sounds like a wonderful family.
I read all your posts . . . love you to death and read anything you write . . . you are my ‘spiritual warrior’ . . . thank you so much !!!!
Jeannine Holley
My deepest heartfelt condolences to your family. What a wonderful thing that you can all pull together at times when family should. I wish my family was such.