My great aunt Liz died this week at age 89. I didn't know her well at all, but my Mom really admired her especially when she was a little girl, so she held this special admired place in our family.
She was ill for about 6 months before passing away, and was in hospice care for the last few weeks. So it is highly likely that she wrote her obituary herself, and it sounds so much like her from what I know.
I was intrigued to see that very high up in her rather lengthy obituary it says that she was preceded in death by her husband and two infant sons. Other deceased relatives were listed after that.
This seems to telegraph that even so late in her life those two deaths still had a prominent place in her psyche. I wish I had known, and I wish I could have talked with her. The wisdom of 89 years, and probably like 60+ of them after losing her two babies, I wish I could have learned some of that.
I am so sorry to hear about your Aunt Liz. I always find it neat talking to the elderly about past situations and how they coped. You are right though, she would have been able to tell you some profound insights into that experience.
ReplyDeleteWe live in a day and age when IVF is possible. It was not so long ago that it was not around. I often think of talking to the people that had to let that dream go because they was no other way and see how the handled it.
Interesting post - I liked it!
Sorry to hear about your Aunt LIz. That would've been nice to talk to her and learn from her experiences. It is sometimes sad how much you learn about a person at their funeral and you wish you knew it beforehand.
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