Sigh

Got a phone call the other morning from my cousin. She's my mother's cousin, I guess, so her children are my second cousins. I lived with them during my engagement to be married and they are family proper in every sense of the word. She called to let me know her mother (my great aunt?) had passed away. We knew she was failing and her passing was a blessing, and we talked about this, but as I hung up, I realized I never actually uttered any sympathetic words. 

I thought, several times, that I should–but what do you say? Am I sorry for her loss? I think I should be, I know they were all praying for the end but that of course it is sad to lose a parent. But I didn't know what to say and so I asked for funeral details instead and if there was anything I could do. This is my way, I guess. 

Later that day, I got a mass email from this cousin, stating that her mother had passed away at 8:05 that morning. The time listed stopped me short. Wasn't that when she called me? I checked my caller ID. 8:08am. She'd called me at 8:08. Was I the first person she'd talked to since she'd received the call telling her the news? And what kind of response did she get? 

Sometimes I'm a bit thick.

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