One of the most important things I believe is to show elderly people that you love them and that they matter. . I don't mean go out a buy a gift... gifts have never meant much to me but rather spend time with them... letting them know that they are something special.....
I remember when Dusty's Great Aunt Doris and Uncle Ray were alive we would always drop by their home on the way to or from the mountains... They would be very excited... They would show us their beautiful orange trees and make sure we picked enough oranges to make a few batches of orange juice when we got home... Doris would play on her organ and we would sing along to songs like 'Take me out to the ballgame' and "She'll be coming around the mountain'... I loved it... Dusty loved it... my kids loved it... and Uncle Ray and Aunt Doris loved it... it was a special time for all of us.. Now that they have gone - we miss them... Whenever we are on our way home from the mountains, we always look at the turnoff for their home and we get sad....
I was recently at a convalescent home on business and it broke my heart to see so many lonely people... All I had to do was smile at one lady and I was introduced to her life... Introduced to a full lifetime of incredible memories... memories of war, marriage, children, grandchildren and death.... Emma had lived a full life and today she is in a convalescent home and unable to care for herself..... with very little family interaction.... She is lonely.... I enjoyed our visit so much that I asked her if I could visit her again..... you know what her response was?...... "When?" Just one word that brought joy and sadness.... I'll be seeing her next week.
We need to honor and love our elders.... We need to find time to spend with them..... Time on Earth moves very quickly and before you know it - they maybe gone... and all we will have left are our memories... Let's make them good ones...
