Grieving
- Chris
- Darlene
- Jim
- Ron's daughter
- Billy
- Larry
- Aviva's Dad
- Josiah
I don't think I'm over Josiah's death even now. Does one ever get over the death of a seven-year-old child?
Even though I didn't know Jim or Ron's daughter, their deaths impacted our family because Keith worked with Jim and Ron. Keith was especially broken up over Jim's death because it was so unnecessary, and what affects Keith, affects me.
Unnecessary death? Aren't all deaths unnecessary... really? Larry, Aviva's husband, and her Dad were probably old enough to die. Larry had Alzheimer's disease and his mind was taken long before his time. With the death of her Dad, Aviva is now the oldest person in her family. I asked her, "Does this bother you?", and she said, "No." She looked plenty bothered to me.
The shocking feelings for me with the death of Chris and Billy is that they were both the same age as I am. Nothing like your friends dying right and left to make you come face-to-face with your own mortality.
Darlene had a stroke a while back, and she was never the same after that. I felt guilty because I didn't want to be around her. I saw her at a wedding and she would cry uncontrollably for no apparent reason. I knew she couldn't help it, but this was not the Darlene I knew and want to remember. The Darlene I cherish came over every day after Curtis was born to help out, do the laundry, and fix dinner. I was so touched by her unexpected kindness and I will never forget it.
I am now the same age as my grandmother when she died of a stroke. I've been teasing Keith all year that I'm dying this year. In a way, I have.
