On death
There's a reason I haven't updated recently, and it's not out of laziness. On Feb. 18 at 4:21, my grandpa died at 93. Of course I cried a little when I heard the news, as my mom did, and yet--that we haven't cried for him since. You see, for the past 5 months he was bedridden after breaking his hip, and his health only declined. I mean, yes, there a lots of ways to prolong life, but, after a certain point, you can never reach the stamina points you used to. And even if by some so-called miracle he recovered, he would still have to contend with his Parkinson's disease, and that is nothing to look forward to. So, in all honesty, my whole family sees his passing as a blessing now that his suffering's ended, and we spent the wake and funeral remembering him most fondly for 92 1/2 years instead of mourning 1/2 a crappy one. What really made us feel calm and accepting about all this was that we were told by a worker at the hospice in grandpa's last minutes he had his eyes wide open and a huge smile. Knowing that earlier his eyes were closed most of the time I felt comforted and humbled. I don't consider myself part of any organized religion, but the human (and even animal) spirit has always interested me, and I truly hope there is some karmic retribution. The same week as this my family's old computer officially conked out (bought in 2002) and so now my computer's in full use. So to wrap up, some things that I've learned:
1. If you truly love or respect someone, show them how much you care when they're still alive. There is nothing more disrespectful than waiting til the funeral to say "You're in my thoughts and prayers!" (Not that anyone did this, but it's still very important to remember.)
2. Computers are not meant to survive over a decade.
3. The only people afraid to die are those that are too young, or those who fear their lives have been wasted in cowardice or squandered potential.
4. During grandpa's entire lifetime, the Cubs have not won a SINGLE world series. Luckily, he was a Sox fan. It all works out.
1. If you truly love or respect someone, show them how much you care when they're still alive. There is nothing more disrespectful than waiting til the funeral to say "You're in my thoughts and prayers!" (Not that anyone did this, but it's still very important to remember.)
2. Computers are not meant to survive over a decade.
3. The only people afraid to die are those that are too young, or those who fear their lives have been wasted in cowardice or squandered potential.
4. During grandpa's entire lifetime, the Cubs have not won a SINGLE world series. Luckily, he was a Sox fan. It all works out.