Generational Shift; Moving Life's Bar Up A Level

A death of someone close or closer in age reminds us of our own mortality. 

We listen, watch and learn as we see others move along the path of life, dying and death.

A funeral. Third in a series of "cousins" within the past two years. That can be a long time or a short time, depends on your "point of view".

Most recently a cousin with early onset Dementia who contracted COVID while in a LTC, one that appeared to visitors and family to be a higher level of care and caregiving. 

By today's standards of "age", she was relatively young but she was still a "Senior".

A funeral just weeks before, other side of the family tree, my husband's side. A male cousin with a nickname the same as my husband's given name who left us ten years ago earlier this month.

This cousin fought the big "C", Cancer, as many are doing, for years. I sincerely hope we find a way to reverse "engineer" this horrid disease out of our bodies completely and not just "control" its progress as we seem to be doing now.

Let's go back in time, to the first of three cousins recently passing:

A funeral. Same Church Mom was taken to; her choice; our love of her to fulfill, to participate, to acknowledge her departure.

A cousin by marriage. Close in age but not really close as we lived "in the city" and she and her husband lived "in the country" far enough in time and distance and leading their lives raising a family as we were.

We were so busy with "our" life and so focused on everyday while looking forward to special events, special times, again, focused on "his" family. 

The direction was always "moving ahead" against odds and challenges purposely moved aside to accomodate what appeared to be "for the best of each child" -- education, activities, family times.

We worked each day to prioritize the positive while dealing with the negatives life hands out without any respect for to whom, when, where, how many times and how much disturbance is given.

Now I supposedly have "my time".  

Desires to continue to become --  should now be able to be realized.

Actually, life has other plans and has had for all the years since standing beside two immediate family members and saying a final goodbye in this life knowing life was forever changed.

No matter what you believe about here, now, there, whenever, as we walk, run, stand and wait watching others and ourselves move through life challenges, it's always a learning experience.

My cousins have been faced with "the process" of the absence and change that accompanies losing a spouse or parent. 

Some would envy them for the years they shared, having lost loved ones at much younger ages or through more challenging times.

These "one upon a time"children, now grown and parents like those who have departed, move another step closer to the day when the line they joined having been born becomes the line they leave a space in for another to occupy.

How do we react to the loss? Each of us has our own tape measure; each of us has a life affected in different ways and so reacts at the moment and to each step along life's continuing road very differently.

We are residents of the here and now asked to consider, evaluate and conclude about today, tomorrow and the future.

Best we can do, in my opinion, is start talking and above all live today as it will soon be tomorrow built on yesterdays.