my grandmother died today or was it Thursday?

It's sad to say, but she died on Thursday, though I only found out this morning. She was in her nineties and had suffered from senile dementia for at least a decade. She was able to recognize me at my wedding, twelve years ago, which is about the last time I saw her.

She lived in England, where I was born. I've lived in the US for 30+ years, since I was a kid. My parents divorced back then. My mom, an American, stayed here. My dad, a Brit, bounced back and forth. He's actually in Malaysia right now, so I don't think there was anyone there when she died (not that she would have recognized any of her family anyway). Her siblings, if any are still alive, and their children live in Australia. I've never met them, at least not that I can remember. My dad's an only child. My grandfather died 30 years ago.

So there you have it. It's sad. I find it hard to grieve for someone I didn't really know, but I can feel some sadness over the way a family falls apart, over the way karma spreads out from something like a divorce, shaping the future.