Our good friend Rachael has lost her father. He died on Sunday, and even though it was anticipated, it is hard to accept. He has been ill for several years, and probably for him and his family it will come as a welcome release for him. I firmly believe that when you lose a parent for the first time, you truly become an adult. The finality of their generation becomes reality when you lose the other parent, too. Rachael still has her mom, and, hopefully, this reality will be a long time off.
Two of our children's spouses have neither parent, and frequently we feel that we have become in some ways the surrogate parent for these wonderful additions to our family. We could not love either of them more than if they had been our own children. We are just pleased that our kids had the good sense to marry them in the first place.
HW2 lost her mom when she was only 60 years old. When HW2 got to her 60th year, it was a hard one. My dad and his dad both died when they were 70, and when my oldest brother turned 70 last year, he experienced the same thing. He was very glad to celebrate his 71st birthday. The whole question of mortality is brought home when you start to lose members of your parents or your own generation. This is when your religious beliefs strongly take hold and help you face your own inevitable end. I get comfort from the passage, "for everything there is a season," a time to be born and a time to grow, a time to live and a time to die. I know that I paraphrased this passage, but hopefully you get its meaning. Rachael, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I know you have strongly held beliefs that will carry you through this time.
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