Wisdom at Christmas & every day!

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Wisdom at Christmas & every day!

It was quiet at the retirement home, each elderly person had their memories, some filled with a special family Christmas and some not so joyful times. As Lynn and Diane stood there carefully analyzing each one, they whispered to each other as if discussing their very own children and suddenly their eyes met unspoken thoughts whirled through their minds for it was clear that these people had become the children of yesterday.

Nana just turned 84 on Dec. 14th, she wanted one thing for christmas. She wanted to see her husband, Charley but this was impossible to give her. Diane managed to get lots of pictures of Charley and put them in a beautifully wrapped box. Mary wanted Pork Chops for dinner, that was in addition to Turkey and Gravy of course. Richard wanted to get his drivers license, not to drive, but to be able to tell his son that he could drive if he wanted to. Mary Catherine wanted a good looking man, you know the kind that is a smooth dancer. Her daughter kept telling her, “mom, dad didn’t dance?” Mary Catherine would just grin. Norman just hoped he’d get a card from one of his five children, this was a thirty year old wish, but maybe this was the Christmas. Joe wanted his Doctor to tell Diane to let him have all the Bayer Aspirin he wanted on Christmas day so he’d be able to dance the Irish jig, in spite of his Arthritis. Dorothy wanted to watch one soap opera after another all Christmas day without being disturbed by the foolishness of a Holiday dinner or singing Christmas Carols. She didn’t want some foolish phone call from New York either. Zola never verbalized what she desired but every day thanked God for the beauty of being alive. Each individual, each child the same, so different, so unique.

If Diane or Lynn had the power to give them anything, they agreed, it would be peace of mind in knowing that their time on earth was well spent. Why? Each person had a legacy they had sprinkled in the lives of these young folks, as they called them. They had taught them that life is the gift, wisdom is the gift, aging is the reward, and Christmas is a symbol of desires never expected to be.

Today is Christmas for Lynn and Diane. The Retirement home is closed for good, all the folks have passed away except Zola who lives with her son now. Lynn is sitting on the sunporch telling the proprietor of the home where he now resides that he’d sure like to get his driver’s license, just to show his son he could still drive. Diane is trying to tell the cook that Porkchops would taste a lot better than Turkey. Time has passed but people stay the same. Enjoy your Christmas and every day for one day you too might be that someone else and believe me it will happen. –Anonymous