Growing old ain't for sissies was the very recent conversation I had with my Mom and Daddy (pictured above) as we prepared for my Mom's his replacement surgery which took place this week. There was some anxiety about the pain she would go through and other health issues which would complicate her recovery. The decision to go ahead with this surgery was a tough one. It took many months for Mom to decide to go through with it and she nearly backed out more than once. She had already been through a hip replacement and has arthritis in both knees and her lower back. She has been in constant pain for a few years now causing her to live in the very small world of their home, unable to do the things she loves like flower tending, playing the piano, going out to dinner with friends. Yes, growing old isn't for sissies.
I was born when my mother was 19 and my Daddy was 23. That's their wedding day picture above. They looked forward to lives together and building a family of their own. They were married August 15, 1952. I came 2 years later while Daddy was in the Army (Korean War) and we lived in an attic appartment. Daddy brought me home in his Jaguar! They weren't rich, but Daddy loved cars and could rebuild engines, so he had a cool car as a young man. My mother was very beautiful, smart (honor roll in high school) and the life of every party. Our home was always filled with activity. Her friends would stop by for a visit (people did that a lot back then) and I loved to hang out with the adults who came to visit, sitting in a quiet corner of the room to hear their conversations.
When my mother was a young teen, she taught her self to play piano. She lived on a farm in the middle of Kansas and there was a barn dance every weekend. They needed a piano player so she learned. She could play honky-tonk Hank Williams music to Floyd Cramer's Last Date. She could sing beautiful harmony and write gospel songs. Truly a talented lady. As I was growing up she made every holiday special because she loved them so much. We celebrated the typical ones in the traditional way, but Mom also celebrated ALL the other smaller holidays like Valentine's Day and Saint Patrick's by decorating our home with home-made decorations and table arrangements adorning the dining and coffee table. And don't forget the homemade cookies and desserts! Mom loved to make her family treats for every season. We were her life!
I enjoy remembering my mother like she once was, because it is so hard to see her go through the pain of severe osteo-arthritis which has crippled her so much that she can't participate in the family gatherings and activities like she once did. This chronic pain has brought long bouts of depression and hopelessness to her. I miss the Momma I once knew when I was young, but more than that, I hate seeing her suffer. The body isn't built to last forever, but thankfully, through Christ, our spirits are. Thank you God for the blessed hope that in eternity there will be no more pain or sorrow.
