back again,,what a couple weeks!!

Hi everybody, Im back. Was gone for a couple weeks and what a couple weeks they were.
My grandson Matthew, 20, suffered the loss of his father. His mom and dad were divorced and Matt is the only child so it was up to him to make all the arrangements. His dad is a full blood Sioux Indian, from the Ft Peck Indian Reservation in Wolf Pointe Montana, so we had to travel from Indiana to there by car. Its a 2500 mile trip round trip.  The country is beautiful, but once you get through the Dakotas,,there is NOTHING!! Im tellin ya,,there wasnt a tree wide enough for a chihuahua to hide behind to pee! Lordy,,thought I was gonna die! Hundreds of miles of no bathrooms. Good thing we filled up with gas and drinks..but the potty thing became a real trial. LOL  We made it though.
Once we got there , we faced all kinds of drama from some of the family that were against Matt taking charge. It got pretty scary for a while,,Indians on alcohol can be pretty intimidating. But Matt produced his birth certificate and the police and tribal court ruled in his favor. They usually have a four day wake,but because we came so far and he had already been dead three days when we got there,,they changed it to a 24 hour wake. They took him to the town community center and laid him out for 24 hours,,and everyone stayed there with him. Some drank, some drummed,,everyone ate,,some slept,,but they all stayed. Then they had the funeral and we went to the old cemetary, way out in the middle of a field, all overgrown with sweetgrass. Sad. It was zero degrees that day and the wind was 25 miles an hour. whew. It was soooo cold. That was really sad too.

We left the next morning and traveled for two days. I was so tired when we got home, that I got sick. It took me a couple days to realize I was dehydrated! I didnt drink any of the water there, so was drinking tea and pop,,so of course I got sick. Im a lot better now though. So glad that is all behind us. Lots of mental and emotional stress as well as the stress on the body. I just weighed myself,,gained three pounds. Im back on track though, so its coming off.

We have ice here,,and its 19 degrees. Supposed to be in the fifties tomorrow,,go figure,,its Indiana weather!

So, just lettin ya all know whats been goin on,,and that I really am back. Gonna go catch up on your news now.

Have a great day everyone!!
Betsy

WOW!!!  What a trip huh? To bad it was under those cir****tances though. My heart goes out to your grandson for his loss.

HUGS

Betsy, having lived out in Montana and driven through the Dakotas out to Montana, I know what it's like. Montana is a beautiful place, but some areas are very desolate. Sounds like quite a trip. Glad to have you back.

Desolate is right. I told someone it was like someone took that reservation and sat it down on the moons surface,,nothing around for miles and miles. And the reservation itself was so poor,,,made my heart hurt to see a lot of it. And there are hardly any old folks,,they are so many who die young from the alcohol and addictions. Matts dad was only 39 and died from a ruptured ulcer in his esophagus from alcohol abuse. He was a sweet man, so kind and gentle with a beautiful smile, so it was doubly sad because that death was so un neccessary. Many teen suicides there too.
It was a quick trip because my daughter had to get back for work and school, plus she has shared custody of a 7 year old as well. She has been a single mom for a long time, and this trip took a toll on her. She never stopped loving Darren, but he wanted to live the Indian beliefs and traditions and wanted to return to the reservation. She did not, so they divorced. He never remarried or had any other children. Sad. We were all exhausted when we got home,,to say the least. Just now getting rested.
Sorry for rambling there...glad i was missed!!

Betsy

 Betsy,
I am not sure I could have endured such a trip.  I would have been peeing on the side of the road.  The drunk Indians sqabbling and arguing sounds like my family of origin.  Dad was a violent alcoholic, and my uncles could tie one on now and then too.  

Alcoholism and addictions kill.  In November, my son's best friend from high school died of a cocaine overdose.  Very tragic.

Glad you got home safely.  

Hugs,
Trish

Betsy,

My condolences on the loss of your grandson's dad, very sad indeed that he died so young and as an indirect result of alcohol.  When I read of how the Native American has been relugated to such deplorable conditions, it really breaks my heart, but as has been said, this is not a political forum, so I'll hush my mouth. . .  sorry again for the loss and glad you are feeling better getting back to your routine.

Hugs, Laureen

Good morning Laureen,

I used to be so biased against the Indians. but after spending a week out there I changed my mind. It really is sad. Some of the things I saw were like third world countries. Since I have been home I have had nightmares about their deplorable condition as well. Not trying to start a debate, just stating what I saw.

I pray for them now and it breaks my heart too. Especially the little kids. I told someone, take a ghetto district and sit it on the surface of the moon, thats how isolated and sad it was. I loved my ex son in law very much, as did my daughter, so it was really hard to see all that. What a waste of a life.

Im glad Im back too, though...missed myroutine! Especially my good coffee and internet service!!! LOL

Have a blessed day!
Betsy