April 20, 2014. Atlanta, Georgia. Grief and Pain.

C.S. Lewis was the first person who described grief as a type of pain. I believe he was correct. Since Thursday, when we were told of Andrews death, both Ken and I have felt pain in every bone and every muscle. It seems physiological. And all food tastes like sawdust. We know we should eat but everything is unappealing. "What a difference a day makes". Since Friday when we left the ship, we have been wending our way to Jackson. There was a 4 hour flight from the little Pacific Island to Sydney, followed by a 10 hour flight to Hawaii. Fortunately, we upgraded to Business Class for the long flight. Then a 8 hour flight to Atlanta, where we sat at the back of a huge plane. Of course, in order to not miss connections, we had 3 hour layovers in each place. Finally, we will make the short flight to Jackson, where we will try to understand what happened to our dear son. Fortunately, we qualify for the Delta Sky Lounge so we have been comfortable in all places. But neither Ken or I are at our best The outpouring of love and prayers from family and friends has been comforting. David and Suzanne Have been in Jackson since Friday and will meet us at the airport. The family is gathering to celebrate Andrew's life. But the situation has not changed. We must live with the concept that we can only talk about Andrew in the past. Everything has changed.