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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The sadness of aging



  The last few days have been tough. Mom is 89 now and she is having age related problems we will probably all face. Monday her move to assisted living was completed. It is going to be tough on her at first.
  She is experiencing change and change is hard at that age. How do you explain to someone she has to go for her own well being? Simply saying it happens to all of us eventually really doesn’t ease the pain of the circumstance. It would be like saying yes, you have a terminal illness but we all have to die some time so it is all right.
  Think of going into a new place where you are vulnerable. She will be a stranger…the new person. I have visions of her sitting by herself feeling very alone. I pray some of the other ladies will become fast friends. There is no other way to put it, she is scared. I would be scared. This is a real gut-wrencher for us. It is worse than sending your children to kindergarten alone for the first time. The kids will come home. Mom will not.
  We will pray for the best and put on a happy face for Mom, assuring her this is a new fun chapter in her life with all the activities and meals being cooked for her. As we walk to our cars the smiles fade like the setting sun, only to reappear for her benefit the next time we visit. We’ll all get through it but with sadder lives.
Ken Dillenburg