Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Some days ya just feel old

Did you ever have one of those days where you just feel old? Today is one of those days for me.

I was sitting at home messing around on the computer last night, when Mom informed me that an old family friend had passed away about 10:30pm. “Lilly” was 97. She had been one of my grandmother’s closest friends in later years. As we discussed Lilly’s last few years, it brought back memories of my grandmother just before she passed away. Just like Grandma, Lilly too had dementia which greatly affected her daily life. As the mind went away, the past became the present. Memories long laid dormant by age, suddenly sprang to life. With Grandma, it was the coal furnace. Any time she got cold, the coal must be running low in the furnace. Lilly had similar things that came to the forefront. Lilly had broken her hip recently and had been taken to a personal care home. Her health was never really the same after that. It seems that trauma to the body weakened the frail hold that the mind had on its current reality.

As we talked, I thought about things of the past. Have you ever been part of a church or local organization for a long period of time? You get to know the families of those involved. As the years pass, new people come and go, but there are always those certain individuals that remain part of the scene. It was this way at our church. Lilly was the last of my grandmother’s generation. In our discussion, we found that Clint is the only person remaining between Lilly and Mom/Dad’s generation. This realization was a bit rough for Mom, even more so, with her recent bouts with Cancer. As it is with everything, the old generation passes the torch to the next. I myself found myself feeling old.

I don’t think much about Grandma and Grandpa anymore. It’s been a long time since they passed away. Lilly’s passing has brought back memories, both happy and sad. I’ll go to the funeral home for calling hours and such. Our families have been friends for almost all of my 40 years. I know her family will miss her, but just like with my grandma, Lilly’s mind is now free from the confusion of the dementia. Her body is free from pain. She is now in a far better place.

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