Autumn Leaves

"And the days dwindle down,
to a precious few....
September,
November."

Ya know, I probably write too much about stuff that makes me introspective and melancholy. When we started "Vandy's Kids", PT posted, with the best of intentions, the list of schoolmates that had passed on, and we included the cause of their passing. We took the memorial down and stored it because the list began to be pretty long, and we were depressed by the loss of youth, promise, talent, vigor, and so many other things it represented.
Now comes the news about Jerry Mullinix and Mickey Kincaid. It's a little easier for me to rationalize the loss of these guys....... they didn't die painfully young- they had a chance to live and make a mark to remember them by.

Pretty early in childhood you realize the normal progression of things. As youngsters we watched as Great-Grandparents died, then Grandparents. We knew that if things unfolded normally, our Parents would be next to go.
Along the way now and then came the shockers-
Friends and loved ones dying much too young due to accidents or horrible disease..... so hard to accept because we're not prepared for it.

I can hardly believe I'm rapidly approaching 60 years of age. And 60 for me is a kind of breaking point- still too young to die, but people who reach 60 have had time to experience much in life, and it's not such a tragedy as dying sooner.

My job has shown me that people of all ages can die of things you don't expect. I regularly see folks under thirty with serious heart attacks. I once transported a 4 year old who had suffered a stroke. Cancer is another disease that can strike at any age.

But now we are entering the 7th decade of our lives.
In "Chico and the Man", Ed Brown, played by Jack Albertson, checked the obituaries in his newspaper to see if his name was there.
Funny bit........
but more and more our contemporaries names will be listed there, and although we may not be comfortable with it, it's a natural thing isn't it?

That's why I believe our memorial to schoolmates will probably remain dormant.
It's also why these mini-reunions are such a wonderful thing, and why it's important you come share fellowship with us if you can.

I hope to see you on October 21st!


Update, 1927 hours:
Home from work this morning, Sara Jean said I needed to call Mommanurse right away- my Mother is in the hospital.
Mom is 81. She has been borderline diabetic for some time now, but the condition has gradually worsened. She is now taking insulin and they are having trouble controlling the dosage and getting her sugar level stabilized. This morning the visiting Nurse couldn't get her to come to the door, and when she investigated, she found Mother confused. She called Mommanurse. MN made the decision to take her to the hospital (where Mommanurse is on staff). There they decided to keep Mom at least overnight to observe and investigate her situation further.
I thought it odd, and sort of premonition-ish that this would happen after publishing this post late last night.
Your prayers and kind thoughts for Mom would be appreciated.
GB