Immortality

How old is OLD?

A friend recently made a comment that

young people have this idea that we [baby boomers] are better able to accept the death of our loved ones just because we are older. Just because we know that old people die, we should accept it and wait for our time. They don't know how soon they will be in our shoes; they don't  know that love grows stronger with age, and the bond between husband and wife becomes more cemented.

My friend is right, you know. When I was a teenager, I would look at my grandparents and great-aunts and great-uncles and see them as old, out of touch with modern music, and having one foot in the grave. I loved them, but in my mind they were doomed.  I now have grand nieces and nephews. I have become that old great-aunt to them. I wonder how they see me. Pretty scary, huh?

Speaking for my "old" self, I'd have to say to the young folks that I don't exactly accept Death. I've seen the shadow of Mr. Death many times. He crept in, unannounced, one Christmas night and took a piece of my heart, leaving me alone. He whisked away Daddy from his VA hospital bed. He spared Mama from her Alzheimer's damaged mind. He brutally snatched my young niece from her murdering husband. He quietly embraced my infant grand nephew, leaving his twin untouched. He has gathered up beloved cats and dogs over the years. Each time Mr. Death visits, a part of me dies. Do I accept him now that I'm older? Is it easier to lose those I love now that I have lost so much? No, I don't accept Death. No, it's never easy. But I don't fear him for I know Death does not exist.