MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2024 - REFLECTIONS

 MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2024 - 2024 REFLECTIONS

2024 is almost over.  On Wednesday, January 1, 2025, I’ll give some thoughts and New Year’s Resolutions.  But first - how did 2024 fare?

NEGATIVES

I lost two close friends this year.  There will be more as I age (and my friends get older).  I don’t mourn much publically. But deep inside, I mourn.  At age 77, I realize that we all will die, and I am dying (we all are) - maybe 20 years, perhaps today.    

In July, RP died in a nursing home.  I visited her on the day she died, and although she wasn’t awake, RP was one of the first people I met in Georgetown.  She was the only one who attended my orchestra concerts - and went to Granny Basketball games and Walburg Oktoberfest.  As time passed, I became her chauffeur, and we went to Dollar Tree and Walmart weekly.  We also were searching for the best burger place in the area!! (Mighty Fine Burgers in Round Rock won).   

And, as time continued, I drove her for surgeries and chemotherapy.  On our last trip outside her nursing home, we went to Dollar Tree with her (using her walker as a chair), an oxygen tank, and a shopping cart.  I laughed, trying to push three things around.  Finally, I put the potable oxygen tank into the shopping cart - and we made it through the store without bumping too many things off the shelf.

We talked and visited frequently as old friends. Through her, I met both our daughters (and their families).

She was an author, a spiritual person, and a great friend. I loved her—and still love her!

*****

I met TL about 3.5 years ago in the Independent Living facility at Wesleyan Senior Healthcare.  I needed something to keep me busy, so I became a caregiver.  TL wasn’t my only person, but one with whom I bonded.  She had a minor stroke before I met her, so she didn’t talk much.  I helped her go to lunch.

Other caregivers went to her apartment and watched TV with her. Someone mentioned that she played cards, so we started playing gin rummy before dinner. I then helped her get ready for bed.  

She was a MENSA person and an artist with her studio. 

After a year, she was moved to the memory care unit.  She saw a checkerboard there, so we played checkers - and she was outstanding. (I’m not a lousy checker player - so we had some good “battles”).  Slowly, her speech dropped off.  

She was moved to the Wesleyan Skilled Nursing facility a year and a half ago.  We still played checkers and walked around.  She used her walker.  We would stop in their exercise/rehabilitation room, and she did some exercises.  We also did crafts.  As an artist, I brought in art books.  But, slowly, that faded.  We were playing checkers, and she would start with the red checkers, and someplace in the middle of a game, she would start to play the black checkers.  She went from a walker to a wheelchair.  I ended up feeding her - seven nights a week.  

For a woman who couldn’t speak, we still communicated.  I loved her - and still love her. 

*****

POSITIVES

I like to have new adventures. This year, my big adventure was visiting my sister in Phoenix. We had a great time—visiting the British Tea Shop, the Instrumental Music Museums, and my family!

Two new state high points preceded that. (New Mexico and Arizona).  After that, I visited the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park.  

Yes, it was a lot of driving, but we enjoyed our country's beauty! I particularly liked Zion National Park.  In the Grand Canyon, the river is at the bottom of the canyon; in Zion, the river is there, and the mountains rise above it.  (I wish it were a couple of hours away rather than three days of driving)

I visited my cousin, Marcia, in the Seattle area in November.  We’ve been friends on Facebook for some time, but this was our first time being together in person.  (What a delightful time).  I met her family (my nieces) and worshipped together.  

My friend Mary and I share lunch most Wednesdays (along with grocery shopping). I love my friends at the Bridge Club, my church, and the community and area. I keep playing tuba for the Bluebonnet Philharmonic Orchestra and Brushy Creek Brass Band (how long will that last?) and keeping score for my Granny Basketball Team!!!  

LIFE IS GOOD!!

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

Karen Anne White, December 30, 2024

(My friend Paula gave me a television set with Roku.  I don’t want to get addicted to television, and I want to understand what is available.  That can be either a negative or a positive in the new year!!!)