Happy New Year- Time to Reflect

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life it's easy to lose track of the really important things in life. The old saying "if you don't have your health, you've got nothing" seems pretty true right now. My husband was reading a family Christmas letter he got yesterday (they always send them late!) detailing who got married, who had kids, who moved, who died. As you get older, you start seeing that "gone" list more. We are getting to be elders in our expanding little tribe.

Every time I get a yearly physical, I hold my breath. While I feel fine, you never know what can be lurking. When everything comes back good, you breathe a sigh of relief. I've started seeing others infirmity more clearly around in our tribe- the one with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and his caretaker stressing. The one's who forget to close the dishwasher door when their guests are in town, too distracted to notice. Do they do that when they don't have guests? The cancer survivor, who bounced back. The older ones fixing up a place and I wonder- what will happen if one passes or becomes unable to help? Who will pick up the pieces?

I'm very glad Dave and I downsized our home and simplified our lives five years ago. If a major complication arose, we, or each of us individually, would be fine. Sometimes those tough decisions earlier give you a sense of peace later, and it all makes sense. Sometimes the tribe leaves me scratching my head, and that's okay. I just watch from another angle and let it unfold. Sometimes distance gives you perspective.

When we went to Portland recently to see Dave's large, extended family for an early holiday gathering, we went to Willamette National Cemetery. Three of our parents are buried there, and my father has a marker, as he wanted to be cremated. It was wet and muddy, but beautiful. It was very busy being expanded, I'm sure due to the war and the aging veteran population. Both my parent served in the Navy during WW2. Dave's father served in the Army during the same time. It's a beautiful facility. As we walked along a narrow road I thought of how much nature surrounded the place, when 3 beautiful deer crossed the grass ahead of us. I smiled. Life goes on, even in a cemetery...