Passings

When my parents were in their late 70’s, the neighborhood they had moved into when brand new, had aged enough for many of their good friends and neighbors to begin passing away. Regularly. Some from accumulated health problems that took a lifetime to collect. Others succumbed to old age while others became acutely sick with cancers and heart attacks.

Whatever the causes my parents watched their new circle of friends diminish noticeably, month after month. It was depressing.

Now it is my turn. Many friends and neighbors are leaving our company. Yes, they have earned this right of passage by dint of time and their share of suffering. But all so far have lived long lives of achievement and happy circumstances. Some represent the ‘greatest generation’ of our nation, while others may not have served in the World War II military, but still are of the greatest generation.

These are the people who took up arms to defeat Nazi Germany and Hirohito’s Japan. They witnessed destruction of global cities but not our own. They returned from the war to build new American cities and families. They birthed a mighty generation of babies and new hope for the world. They pressed for new colleges and universities, new industries and burgeoning entertainments. They lived lives of quiet. They did not celebrate war or its glories, whatever those were and are!

No, these folk were unassuming ‘heroes’ we lived with day by day, and leaned on to show us the way, teach us to ride bikes, to keep our homesteads neat and tidy, and to nurture our kids to purposeful adult lives. Heritage shared? You bet! They were model building blocks for generations to come.

They are going now. A few years ago an aquaintance of mine died at 91. A few months ago, another at 93. This week a lady of 89 left for her rest. And her husband of 90 mourns and suffers his own end of life health challenge. He too will pass from us all too soon. And mourn we will; but also celebrate who they were and what they were. And in this way we keep them with us in spirit and motivation. Models.

Funny thing about life: it offers up contrasts that inform. In the past seven years I have met and worked with people battling addictions with alcohol mainly, but also drugs, debilitating mind-sets and negative behavior obsessions. They are trying to take hold of their lives today, to push back the negatives of yesteryear and to model a new life and future of hope. It is a day by day battle. Sometimes an hour by hour press. By inches they improve. Some days major leaps are accomplished. This is their World War II. This is when they take on the challenges that will hew new futures for them and their families.

We can hope for that. We can otherwise nurture their efforts. And we can promise ourselves to observe their success as another generation of future joins the American road to promise.

After all, isn’t that one of the reasons the Greatest Generation worked so hard? So we can pass the torch on to others? To do less would dishonor their achievements.

September 4, 2012