A fading star...
Isn't it curious the way the universe works? By definition a star is just a massive, luminous ball of plasma that is held together by its own gravity. I was also reading that "a binary and multi-star systems consist of two or more stars that are gravitationally bound, and generally move around each other in stable orbits. When two such stars have a relatively close orbit, their gravitational interaction can have a significant impact on their evolution." ...kinda like marriage I guess or how you move through your life usually with a a significant other.
I guess in different ways our own life resembles that of stars. They can collide and implode, they can have a rocky life and eventually collapse. ...Or, they can lead a brilliant, shining life but over time can lose their luster and fade away from existence. My last grandfather was the very example of the latter. He was born January 13, 1925, fought in several combat battles in Europe including the second wave in Normandy, married my grandmother and built his own house, raised two children and saw four grandchildren grown, and was a very caring person to so many people. In many ways he led a very full life, and that makes it all the more sad that his life ended in such an empty manner.
He was diagnosed with dementia years ago and so much was tried, but eventually it ate him up. Especially within the last year it became a degree of Alzheimer that eroded away too much of him. Bless my grandmothers heart, she asked 10 years ago if they could move closer to one of their children because she was afraid of something happening to them and nobody being there to help her, he would never hear of it and ironically that's exactly what happened. She had to do everything and it wore her completely out and we all tried to help- even I spent hundreds of dollars to fly home for a month to stay with her for a while and help out (well, I looked at wedding things too while there, so I'm not THAT angelic). He had been in assisted living and nursing homes lately but many of the people were stupid and did not really know how to handle Alzheimer's patients properly so several places still relied on my grandmother alot. Not only that, but a month or two ago he kept going in and out of hospitals and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and over the last year he lost so much weight. His heart was only working at 15% and they gave him basically six months.
Nearly two weeks after I returned home to Hawaii and was thinking of taking a certain job, I got a call he was fading and would be gone within the day, and so he was later that Saturday night/Sunday morning for them on November 16th. We had the wake on Wed. the 19th in Terre Haute, Indiana where his local Masons chapter gave a farewell ceremony to their brother, and at the service the next day (Thurs, Nov 20th) there was a small local military salute, including a 21 gun salute. My aunt had got him a place to rest at the National Veteran's Cemetery at Quantico, Virginia where we all knew he'd love to be because of his supreme patriotism and pride in serving in WWII. We chose Quantico because unlike Arlington, they also will bury their spouses there (and Grandma didn't care where she was to be buried as long as she was near one of her children and my Aunt Susan lives and works near Washington DC) plus there was a shorter waiting period. So we then went to Virginia for that on the 25th.
I flew then drove alot and because of the Thanksgiving crowd I just stayed with my family through Thanksgiving and just got back yesterday (I slept over 13 hours after I got home). I feel bad that I didn't feel more remorseful with his passing in a certain way, but truthfully, we all knew he was just better off this way. At the wake, me and the grandchildren stole Grandma away into the hall so that she could eat something and it's strange but she said, "I just can't believe it..." I think we thought something else until she then said somebody told her earlier that she lost a great man, but that to her she said she lost him years ago. And it's true. She was grieving long before his body passed because that's really all he had become.
...some people really are stars. They burn so brightly throughout their life, but for some, their luminosity cannot sustain to live forever. Fortunately, there are those that will document stars and like people, it helps them to live on through the remembrances they carry with them.
I guess in different ways our own life resembles that of stars. They can collide and implode, they can have a rocky life and eventually collapse. ...Or, they can lead a brilliant, shining life but over time can lose their luster and fade away from existence. My last grandfather was the very example of the latter. He was born January 13, 1925, fought in several combat battles in Europe including the second wave in Normandy, married my grandmother and built his own house, raised two children and saw four grandchildren grown, and was a very caring person to so many people. In many ways he led a very full life, and that makes it all the more sad that his life ended in such an empty manner.
He was diagnosed with dementia years ago and so much was tried, but eventually it ate him up. Especially within the last year it became a degree of Alzheimer that eroded away too much of him. Bless my grandmothers heart, she asked 10 years ago if they could move closer to one of their children because she was afraid of something happening to them and nobody being there to help her, he would never hear of it and ironically that's exactly what happened. She had to do everything and it wore her completely out and we all tried to help- even I spent hundreds of dollars to fly home for a month to stay with her for a while and help out (well, I looked at wedding things too while there, so I'm not THAT angelic). He had been in assisted living and nursing homes lately but many of the people were stupid and did not really know how to handle Alzheimer's patients properly so several places still relied on my grandmother alot. Not only that, but a month or two ago he kept going in and out of hospitals and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and over the last year he lost so much weight. His heart was only working at 15% and they gave him basically six months.
Nearly two weeks after I returned home to Hawaii and was thinking of taking a certain job, I got a call he was fading and would be gone within the day, and so he was later that Saturday night/Sunday morning for them on November 16th. We had the wake on Wed. the 19th in Terre Haute, Indiana where his local Masons chapter gave a farewell ceremony to their brother, and at the service the next day (Thurs, Nov 20th) there was a small local military salute, including a 21 gun salute. My aunt had got him a place to rest at the National Veteran's Cemetery at Quantico, Virginia where we all knew he'd love to be because of his supreme patriotism and pride in serving in WWII. We chose Quantico because unlike Arlington, they also will bury their spouses there (and Grandma didn't care where she was to be buried as long as she was near one of her children and my Aunt Susan lives and works near Washington DC) plus there was a shorter waiting period. So we then went to Virginia for that on the 25th.
I flew then drove alot and because of the Thanksgiving crowd I just stayed with my family through Thanksgiving and just got back yesterday (I slept over 13 hours after I got home). I feel bad that I didn't feel more remorseful with his passing in a certain way, but truthfully, we all knew he was just better off this way. At the wake, me and the grandchildren stole Grandma away into the hall so that she could eat something and it's strange but she said, "I just can't believe it..." I think we thought something else until she then said somebody told her earlier that she lost a great man, but that to her she said she lost him years ago. And it's true. She was grieving long before his body passed because that's really all he had become.
...some people really are stars. They burn so brightly throughout their life, but for some, their luminosity cannot sustain to live forever. Fortunately, there are those that will document stars and like people, it helps them to live on through the remembrances they carry with them.