Dropping like Flies & Paying Respects

My extended family seemed to have immunity to the whole death thing for the longest time--until six years ago.  Honestly, I remember going to one funeral as a kid--my mother's cousin, who I didn't really know.  At this point, though, the family's making up for lost time.  Grandparents, uncles, brother-in-law, cousins...we've had a lot of funerals.  We've also been hit with all sorts of serious illnesses--lots of relatives in chemo and radiation and all such.

Part of it is probably as simple as similar age groups hitting those times.  My grandmama was 97, I believe, and Granny was 88.  My maternal grandfather passed before I was born, though.  Ah, and that brings us to Granddaddy, who I saw yesterday.  The decline in the past couple of months is awful.  Two months ago, I was delighted at his dynamic self and felt quite pleased with his vitality and intact mind.  Sure, he wasn't in the best of health, but when the doctors quietly asked my father if he wanted to continue with all the blood and platelet transfusions, I was right with Dad in thinking, "Of course!  What's the matter with them?"  However, Granddaddy is generally in a lot of pain and is somewhat delirious now, possibly due to all the medications.  So sad to see.  He's 91, but I hope he doesn't have to endure this state for too long.

Oh, I just got back from a funeral for my Uncle Jesse, age 86.  He'd been married to my Aunt Mildred over 50 years, so though not blood kin, he definitely felt like family.  His granddaughter, my cousin Angie, passed away about a month or so ago, too.  We were of similar age and spent time together as girls.

Anyhow, there are a host of folks who seem on the brink.  It's kind of funny, but when we lived in Washington, I was so afraid that I'd be stuck out there and not able to be with family through deaths and funerals and all that.  I didn't miss many then, either.  Now, it seems like funerals are a hobby of mine, I swear!  Hope it slows down soon, though all signs indicate that it won't.  I do think it's important to pay our respects--not only to the deceased, but to the surviving family members.  At this past funeral, I was certainly there more out of respect for Aunt Mildred and my cousins than anything.