This week, it was my duty to take my mother to visit her only nephew…..my only cousin. He was quite ill, and was being cared for in a nursing facility. He had asked to see her, twice, so we made the trip on Friday morning.
\nI bitterly regret that I had not kept in touch with him. I was shocked to see what the past eight or ten years had done to him. Communication was difficult. Emphasema had taken away his ability to project words. I talked to him about recent changes in our lives, and showed him a picture of my new granddaughter.
\nOur visit was brief, and I hoped to arrange a second visit when his wife or my sister (the nurse) were present, to help us understand what he was saying.
\nUnfortunately, my cousin passed away this morning.
\nHe is the first of my generation to die. His passing is making us all reflect on the time we have left, and the things we have put off. We were about twenty years apart in age, and were not close, but still…..he was my only cousin. I wish I had made a greater effort to know him.
\nI’ll always remember him for his ascerbic wit, for remarkable talent with a camera, for an intense interest in the family history and genealogy, for extensive knowledge about the petroleum industry, for his successful efforts to improve the quality of the fire department in our home town, and for raising incredibly smart children and grandchildren.
\nI hope he is trading cracks with St. Peter….free from the pain that has shrouded the last years of his life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This week, it was my duty to take my mother to visit her only nephew…..my only cousin. He was quite ill, and was being cared for in a nursing facility. He had asked to see her, twice, so we made … Continue reading