Tuesday, while driving into Zellwood Station, following a teary conversation with the security guards, one of whom was the first responder when she called 911, I saw a pair of sandhill cranes in flight over the roadway. I nearly gasped at the sight. You see, sandhill cranes mate for life. Naturally, my clever readers already know why it affected me so....yes, I could just envision Judy and Bob finally reunited and flying as a pair once again. "Life Partners" is what I call the above photo, which in the future, when someone buys it, I will always recall this scene.
Pray tell, Miss Gail, what does the title of today's post mean??? Well, hold your horses, I'm getting there.
I don't know about you, but for me, sometimes I think of folks in the recent past. Now, that sentence doesn't make much sense does it? How can I put this into words that convey what I'm thinking???
The above nursery rhyme came to me as I was thinking about all this. Are you happy now? At one point, all of our bodies were nimble, and our thoughts were quick. Yet, as time moves forward, that nimble and quick becomes clumsy and slow. Our eyes no longer see what we want them see without some kind of aid. Our ears, don't pick up all of the sounds we would like, or as in Judy's case, we need an aid to hear, lest we miss the beauty of music, the laughter of a child, or just the plain old dinner table conversation. In other words we become less than we were. It becomes harder, and harder, to recall our once young selves.
Rummaging through drawers and closets, I found one letter in particular that Bob wrote to Judy that really touched me. He wrote about routine things, along with loving words, signing it with about twenty x's, and o's. In fact, it was so sweet that I could hardly believe it came from the same man I was remembering. In more recent years, as his body became less nimble, he turned into a grumpy old man, oftentimes lashing out at Judy. Never in a million years would he have done her any physical harm, but mental, at times, I'm not so sure about that. Yet, I'm certain he didn't mean to. He clearly adored her. Aging, however, was taking its' toll. Cheerful as always, she remembered her wedding vows, and soldiered on. She, it seems, was not focusing on the here and now, instead chosing to remember how he was. At the time I would sometimes become so frustrated; looking back, I now admire her strength, carrying on when others would have quit. Clearly, she was a woman in love.
The bedroom closets and drawers are mostly empty now, save for sentimental things waiting for the others to weep over. There goes the dress she wore to Matt's college graduation and the sparkly velveteen jacket she danced in at Dave and Michelle's wedding. The sensible shoes that she wore most of the time, now that her feet wouldn't cooperate with fancier foot wear. Countless handbags, which I needed to check, for the inevitable Kleenexes and Lifesaver mints. Did I mention what a sweet tooth she had? I found candy everywhere!!! Snickers on the dresser, taffy in the nightstand, chocolate truffles in the bedroom, red licorice, hard candies of all types, and I'm leaving some stuff out for sure. So far, I've not found it in the bathroom, however, I haven't done much in there yet; only time will tell.
The thing about Judy is, that, although she'd accumulated many material possessions during her 82 years, friends and family meant so much more to her. She'd already stickered her new calendar with everyone's birthdays and anniversaries through December. Of course, my sticker was on the last day, on the last page, of said calendar. Somehow, seeing that calendar with all that hope for the year 2010, really got to me. I will so miss whatever goofy gift she'd have thought up for my 57th birthday.
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Listening to: Amy Grant - I'm Gonna Fly
via FoxyTunes
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