August 30, 2011

Last week was crazy and sad.

Sadly, we said our goodbyes at the airport on Monday at the end of our 10 day vacay, then it was back to school shopping for me and back to work for both of us on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the week ended with BigSis and SisMama attending a funeral for a family friend whose life was cut way too short.

Fortunately, both our workplaces were incredibly understanding and allowed us to take bereavement leave. In case you were not already aware, bereavement leave is the paid time off granted to an employee when a loved one passes away. You can learn more about bereavement leave by researching ‘what is bereavement leave?' online.

Put simply though, bereavement leaves applies to an employee that loses a family member, including a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or anyone else an employee is close to. The employee will need to inform their employer of the death immediately, and three days of paid leave are typically granted.

This allows the employee to grieve in private and focus on their well-being while not having to deal with any work-related responsibilities. This also gives the grieving party time to plan and attend the funeral. All full-time employees should be allowed to take advantage of this policy should the need arise.

Sometimes things happen in life that make you slow down, take a deep breath, and pay attention to what's most important in life.

For both of us, it's our family and our health; and we try really hard to remember that on a daily basis. We know that it can all be taken away in an instant.

Even though August is almost gone, we do have a couple of fun dates to celebrate. Tonight we're celebrating a big one; HayHay's 18th birthday, and tomorrow is my 20th wedding anniversary.

Sadly, Summer will soon be coming to an end but since we've got Labor Day weekend just a few days away, we'll have one last “big blowout” celebration with friends on Sunday before Fall arrives.

 

Once BigSis& I can catch our breath, we'll be back in a few days; hopefully in full force. 🙂

~LilSis