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What happens when our elders get old?
It’s inevitable, you can’t avoid it or ignore it. Sooner or later our parents get old. So what happens when they do?
My mother died at a fairly early age. She was in her fifties so not old but not young anymore. Cancer ate away at her until there was nothing left. I watched a strong woman deteriorate day after day until she couldn’t fight anymore.
It’s heartbreaking to watch your loved ones suffer and grow weak. But the reality is, death is just a part of life. I know that sounds odd, but it’s true. We are all born, and we all die at some point. But what happens when you get old but aren’t dead yet?
Well, to start with, you get stubborn. I mean really stubborn. You refuse to change your ways no matter how much it might benefit you. My in-laws are like this. They are in their seventies and can’t get around that well. For heating, they use a wood stove, and that’s it. They refuse to use anything else.
For the first time in twelve years (that’s how long I’ve known them) my father-in-law wasn’t able to cut wood. A normal person would start looking at other ways to heat their home, but not him. Instead, he calls us tells us we will have to cut his wood for him. That’s right, he didn’t ask, he just told us we were going to do it.
