Changing Times

Times are changing.

I am not ready for all the changes that come to us in this life. My dear sweet 86 year old neighbor, Margaret, has lived in this little house since she was married. She was only around 16/17 when she got married. This little house was a little log cabin at the time. It has since had many additions to it. My sweet Margaret is no longer able to take care of herself in her home. She has moved to an assisted living center. This little home has been sold to a grandson and his young family. They have four little ones, first grade and younger.

Margaret has been an inspiration to me. I have always said that I want to be like her when I am old. She has had many hardships in her life. Her mother died when she was young. She helped raise her younger sister. Her father remarried and the stepmother wasn't terribly nice. She moved to a tiny little cabin with no indoor plumbing. She raised five children and helped her husband with their farm. He was a good man but a stubborn man(normal for his time). She has had cancer a few times. She had throat surgery and they accidentally cut her vocal chord. They didn't think she would ever be able to talk again, yet she did. She told me that she can't sing and she misses singing so much!

She has been a widow for 14 years. She has always been kind and loving. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren have loved coming to her home. She always had "paint with water" books for the kids to paint when they came to visit. They loved painting with Grandma. My little girl is friends with one of the great-granddaughters so she got to paint and play with "Grandma" quite a bit.

I remember talking to her on the street by the mailbox one day. I asked her how she was doing. She said "Oh, I am fine. I am just so slow. I am as slow as a turtle. I just wish that I could run! I love to run."

One day I recieved a phone call from the alert company that Margaret used. She had fallen and pushed her emergency button. She wasn't answering when they paged her. Could I go and check on her? I ran across the street and she was patiently sitting on the lawn hoping that someone would come and help her. Our motorhome was parked on the street in between our houses so we couldn't see her. She had been out watering and had slipped. She just didn't have the strength to get up. I was so glad that I had answered the phone. I was in a hurry getting ready to leave and I almost let it ring.

There are only a few things that are for certain in life. Death is one of them. As I am getting older I look around at the other people in my life that are also getting older. It saddens me so much. There are people in my life that are not young. I am not terribly young. I have had many people pass already in my life. I feel so sad when someone dies. This life is so short. The older we get the shorter it is! Every person I meet in my life has affected me. I am grateful for my knowledge that this isn't the end. That we can be with the people we love again.

My sweet Margaret has been one of the kindest, sweetest examples of what "enduring with grace" should look like. She has always spoken kindly, even of people that have been difficult in her life.

Our Sweet "Grandma Margaret" will be missed.