Last Thursday, I went to visit an old family friend. Not my friend really, but my parents’ friend. My mother called and told me that this woman’s husband had died, and that he was being buried the following day. It was important that we visit and condole with the mourning family.
We got there just before mass began and were ushered into the bedroom where she lay on her back.
To say I was unprepared for what I saw is an understatement. Almost lifeless, this once vibrant woman had no strength left in her, and all she could do was occasionally lift her frail, crooked right hand when the pain from her arthritis-ridden body became unbearable.
Even though her voice was weak and small, her memory was still good and she could place our faces. She was happy to see us and kept going on about God and his mercies.
When the priest came and the mass began, she found it in her spirit to sing along to the sombre burial preparation songs.
However, at some point, she got tired and needed to sit down. She asked us to help her into a sitting position and as we did so, she winced in pain.
It is then that the tears started to flow, and I was left confused, wondering whether they were tears of grief or physical pain.
As I looked at her now tiny body devoid of her characteristic booming laugh. I was able to finally understand what people mean when they say that the body is like a flower. It can bloom today and be lackluster tomorrow.
Reduced to a child, she had to be fed her meals and she could no longer use the bathroom, so her caretaker had to get her adult diapers.
I left there grateful for my very able-bodied parents who are still able to go about their business without much suffering.
A few days later, I narrated my experience to my friends and we all agreed that it is good to cherish the good times when all is well even as we prepare for such a time when our bodies may be devoid of the much-needed mental and physical strength to enjoy a normal life.
Cut short
We also agreed that it is important for loved ones to remind each other of what they mean to each other because life can be cut short without warning.
We agreed that it is important to take care of the body by considering what we eat and by embracing healthy lifestyles, because the body has a way of giving testimony of how it has been treated in later days.
Even though we may wish that the good times never end, and that our bodies remain fit and strong, nature has it that with time, things will certainly change.
And since we may not always know the course that life will take, it is best to celebrate good health and the grace of being alive today.
