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Celebrating the holidays differently. What gift can you give yourself?
Aging Well | Last Active: Jan 3, 2022 | Replies (82)Comment receiving replies
@gingerw Wonderful reflections. It makes me think too that we never know when something will be the "last time" as it was with the author's friend. I felt that keenly this past summer. My brother had heart problems for a long time but always managed to overcome them. I really didn't expect his passing when he did, it was difficult for all of us. Thankfully though, he passed away in his sleep and was found by his wife the following morning. Due to his problems they were not sharing a bedroom.
JK
Replies to "@gingerw Wonderful reflections. It makes me think too that we never know when something will be..."
@contentandwell, My sincerest condolences to you and your family on the loss of your brother. I, too, was immediately and deeply struck by the author's Paradise Found passage on the sudden loss of her friend.
One of my two very closest friends died unexpectedly in her sleep on 12/21 three years ago. She was scheduled for a pacemaker the first week in the new year but otherwise in fine health. We were slated for our annual X-mas lunch together the following day. Like your brother, she died in her sleep and was discovered by her husband who had been fighting a long, courageous battle with cancer. The shock for all who knew and loved my friend took a very long while to come to grips with.
Like you, I came to view her sudden death as a mercy in that she did not experience the prolonged and valiant effort my very closest friend experienced with her death this past June 23rd. Witnessing this friend's positive attitude despite her increasing complications and suffering proved almost unbearable at times. Both brought lasting value in incredible ways to my life over the 30+ yrs of our friendships. Both emphasized the good in others and always viewed the glass "half full".
Something our school principal said at a beginning of the year teachers' inservice has stayed with me since 1975 and relates to what you wrote about the "last time". "Always greet someone with a smile and kind hello because you never know what has just happened in their lives". His emphasis was on what might have happened before a child got to school on a given day but it can apply to everyone.
None can predict what tomorrow will bring so it behooves us all to let those most dear know how much they are loved and appreciated while we still can.
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I am 77. When I was 16-ish I used to read the obituaries in the local paper. For some reason I found them fascinating, wondering about the age they died at. And if I saw that the person was 39 or so (Jack Benny's constant age...), I thought, "Oh, he's old. It's ok for him to die." I never imagined I'd live beyond 60. But here I am. Looking forward to the future because of my religious beliefs, which I did not always have. Just to say that while getting old-er and more decrepit, I still have hope for the future. I read today that one of the cast members of the original "Gilligan's Island," Dawn Wells, died at 82. She had a very interesting bio, glad I read it.