Two Deaths, 10 Days

This afternoon I returned from Kansas. I returned on my solo 8 hour drive after celebrating the life of Mildred Hoffman. It was only just a weekend ago that I was boarding a flight to DC from Houston. A flight that marked the end of celebrating the life of Rud Whidden.

I wish I could say that I knew these people extremely well. I can't. I don't know the details of their lives, but I do know how important they were to my own parents. Rud was my Mom's dad. My Gramps. Mildred was my Dad's mom, my Grandma. These individuals lived long fulfilling lives. Lives that would reach into their late 80's. They both would take their final breath surrounded by those that loved them in every sense of the word. I can only hope the same will happen for me. Unfortunately I fear family members and friends may focus on the last years or even months of their lives. Gramps would suffer from a stroke and never make a full recovery after surgery. Grandma was to spend what I believe was close to a year on the nursing floor of the Manor in Lawrence. I think if you were to focus on these times you'd miss the picture. Like looking up close at a Monet, it's not appreciated until you take a few steps back.

Gramps was born in Brooklyn. Served in WWII. Met the love of his life at Syracuse. Worked for Shell Oil Company in the insurance business. Raised two daughters that would eventually become wonderful parents of their own. He was a man that maintained a positive outlook. A man that would always have a joke (even if I heard it at least 10 times from him already). He was kind. He was caring. He was my Gramps. A man that I hope someday will introduce me to his old war buddies. I will miss you Gramps.

Mildred. A beautician. A wife. A mother. I didn't have the chance to see her as much as Gramps, but that is mainly due to geography. That isn't to say she hasn't impacted my life. She fathered my dad and a couple uncles and an aunt as well. She raised these kids to be wonderful contributors to today's society. I can tell through them, the type of woman she was. What I do know is she too maintained a positive outlook. She was a woman who would always speak her mind. Her straight forwardness is something we can all learn from. Grandma I'll be ready for a good card game when my time comes.

Two deaths in ten days. To say I haven't thought about it would be an understatement. Taking my flight to Texas and watching the plane's shadow dance along the clouds I thought of Gramps. Watching the endless farm fields pass along my windows I thought of Grandma. I'm not for certain I know what the meaning of life is. I don't believe anyone knows until we die. What I feel though is that life is meant to be lived. Life is meant to be enjoyed. That if we leave this world better than the one we entered then in the grand scheme of things we did alright.

My Grandma too kept a journal. So I will end it with an excerpt of her own:

"Live Well.

Laugh Often

Love Much."

~ Mildred