When the phone rings

Early this morning the phone rang. It was either a wrong number or a call bearing a not so good news. It was not a wrong number, but a sad news, an elderly aunt on my husband side was gravely ill at a nursing home. Had no time for shower, just add more clothes on and left. When we got there she has passed on. A jolly old lady, an affectionate aunt. Would never hurt a fly, loves bingo and food. Right now the thing I remember most is that she was the brave lady who asked for a second helping of my first ever attempt at making a chocolate chip banana bread. I wished I visited her more often when she was at the nursing home. The nursing home is just next to the 24 hours Super Wal*Mart that I often shop at. However, almost every time I went, she was always not in, taken home by one of her children. Then today we said goodbye to her, a very sweet lady.

When I first moved here, the odd hours phone rings meant that my family members and friends who are still not familiar with time differences are at the other end of the line. I looked forward to those untimely rings. However nowadays, it is different, mostly the rings are bearer of not so happy news. At my age, my elderly loved ones are in the sunset of their lives. I have to accept that. I have to expect more visits to hospitals and be ready for whatever consequences. Life goes on.