A BITTERSWEET TRIP TO FLORIDA

This time of the year used to be very sad and stressful for me because I would be leaving my mentally disabled brother, Melvin, in CT, to spend 6 months in FL I was his legal guardian and extremely involved
in his life. My husband, Don, wants to be in FL and Melvin wanted to stay in CT. All his support systems and the health care facility he call “home” were in CT.

Every year, I would start to feel bad around the beginning of September, even though we didn’t actually leave until the end of October. The feeling would just build and build. The growing dread of my departure, every fall, was always so stressful for me. It never seemed to bother him as much as it bothered me since
he loved his “home” in CT and all his friends and the recreation he had there.
I knew he was being well taken care of and would be spending about 3 weeks with us in FL , but I was always dreading that something would happen to him while I was away for 6 months. Well, as some of you already know, Melvin passed away on December 25, 2015, with my son and daughter-in-law by his side and, of course, I was in Florida.

It is a bittersweet situation for me, that this is the first time in 20 years, that I will be able to look forward
to the fall season and spending the winter in Florida. It is a strange feeling, but I’m looking forward to getting used to it. My brother is at peace.