Shortly after midnight, MIL passed away. Hubby got there about 40 minutes later.
I know he will be feeling guilty that he did not get there before she passed, but nonetheless he will be spending as much time down there as he needs to help SIL make all the arrangements and get everything taken care of.
I told the kids what had happened, and they understand that this is a mixed blessing. They will miss their grandmother terribly, but they understand that she is happier being where our family believes she is, without the shackles of the body that has so betrayed her these last 10 years.
I’m anticipating a wide variety of emotional responses from the kids over the next few days. They understand that if they don’t feel up to it they can stay home from school, but have said so far that they don’t think that will be necessary. They are taking it much better than I thought they would.