Another seriously depressing 'life or death' thread. :(

henke on 4/3/2012 at 21:33

BrokenArts on 5/3/2012 at 02:09

R.I.P Dirk, lovely to read Dia, may he be running around once more up in Heaven, just like he did when he was a kid. *hugs* to you and your sister.

SD on 5/3/2012 at 02:24

I'm very sorry for your loss Dia. That was a beautiful post about your brother. It is good that his agony is over.

Tocky on 5/3/2012 at 03:43

A lot of what you said about Dirk could have been picked out of my own life and it just reminds me that there but for a turn down a different street or opening of a different door I could be where he ended up. Any of us are closer to the grip of addictions and depressions than we think. A series of wrong decisions or plain bad luck can take a toll we just can't see right away. I'm sorry it happened to him. He sounded like someone I would enjoy knowing.

I'm sorry for your loss. I know you will think of him often and remember the best and truest depth of the man and it will hurt. It's unavoidable. You are a good sister.

jtr7 on 5/3/2012 at 04:07

Vasquez on 5/3/2012 at 06:57

I'm sorry for your loss, Dia :( *hugs*

Thirith on 5/3/2012 at 09:46

Very sorry for your loss, Dia. This must have been such a difficult time for you. I hope that you and your family can find solace in Dirk's suffering having found an end.

Briareos H on 5/3/2012 at 10:44

You should take some rest, maybe some vacation where you can free your mind a little bit.
Sincere sympathies.

Dia on 5/3/2012 at 13:34

Thank you all for your kind words; very, very much appreciated. It's so very frightening to realize that in the space of 5 & 1/2 years, I've lost my husband, my father, my favorite brother-in-law, my mother, and now my only brother.

And yes, Briareos, I think I need a short vacation too, but it'll have to wait for a few more days. Today Tam & I have to talk to the administrator at the local cemetery to make arrangements for Dirk's final resting place. Yesterday we made the funeral service arrangements with the director at the same funeral home we used for our parents. That was pretty tough; but afterwards we went back to Tam's house and started going through photos to use for the service and it was amazing how cathartic that turned out to be. Dirk was such a cutie as a kid, though at the time both his sisters thought he was a dork. ;)

The hardest part is yet to come: saying our final goodbyes and laying him to rest. Tomorrow evening is the wake, then on Wednesday morning the funeral. It's so sad that we're on first name terms with the directors of the funeral home and the cemetery. It's also scary to think of how fast this whole thing went even though each day has seemed like an eternity; Dirk was diagnosed with cancer only last Tuesday.

What Tam and I find comforting is that we've been able to fulfil what few last wishes Dirk had. He was an American history buff and avidly read anything concerning WWII, our country's Civil War, and everything about the Old West. Though he always said he wanted to 'die with my boots on' which of course wasn't possible, we've made sure he'll be wearing his favorite cowboy boots when he's laid to rest.

My God I miss him so much already.

Harvester on 5/3/2012 at 20:11

I'm sorry for your loss... Words fail. I will pray for strength and comfort for you and your sister during the grieving process.