I'm not trying for the easy laugh today. No off-color double entendres from my 13-year-old self. No ridiculing Farmer H for his proven premeditated peccadilloes. Today we mourn the loss of the mother of the ex-mayor.
It's hard to let them go, yet selfish to wish them to stay. The XMM was a gracious lady, full of tales of yore that involved my own kin, and with a kickin' sense of humor. I only saw her a couple times a year, at birthdays or summer cookouts, and always at Christmas. She was one of OUR table, you know. The table in the dining room. Not the riff-raff in the kitchen, all Millennialish, wine-drinking, phone-texting and such. Civilized!
Anyhoo...the XMM had been in good health until a year or two ago. Last Christmas was not her best. A couple of injuries set her back, requiring hospitalization and rehabs. I'm not here to give away her medical information. Just to say that it's hard to let go, when a loved one is not getting better, and is sometimes confused and frightened. We selfishly wish for them to stick around, more for our own benefit, perhaps, than theirs. It's just hard.
When this posts, Farmer H and I will be at the XMM's funeral, most probably a packed house, celebrating her 97 years of life, and letting her move on to whatever awaits us all, when our time here is done.
I'm pretty sure we'd all be happy to have 97 years. I know she made the most of hers.
5 comments:
I'm truly sorry for your loss. It sounds like she had 97 years of love!!
fishducky,
Thanks. Like I said, I didn't see her all that often. But she's been part of the family for years. I bawled like a baby at the funeral. She had a huge crowd, and a touching service.
So sorry to hear she didn't make one more Christmas. 97 is good though. I wouldn't mind 97, though I'm aiming for 100. at least 97 would beat my grandma who made it to 96.
River,
Yes, but it's far enough out from Christmas that family won't always associate Christmas with her passing. She JUST made it to 97. Her birthday was on Thanksgiving this year. I had a great-grandma on my dad's side who made it to 98, but I don't see that in my own future!
River,
I struggle so much to get around on these old knees! I feel like since I retired, I've gone way downhill way fast! My mom got around better than me, even though she was older. And that last sickovirus took forever to recuperate from. I guess I just feel really OLD lately.
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