Friday, March 13, 2009

When did my parents change so much?


While visiting my parents last week I came to the realization that my parents are aging more than I had noticed in the past. Maybe I am just ignoring it...

My parents have always identified themselves with Fiddler on the Roof. They had 5 daughters just like they did. But, the movie stops with the daughters growing up. What happens to Tevye and Golde? I guess I will never know.
But what I do know is that I have begun to talk to my daughters about cherishing every moment with my parents. They need to also keep the memories both good and bad of their time together.
I realize I am sounding melancholy; but there are times it is necessary. One must be realistic when it comes to aging. I need to make a concentrated effort to learn as much as I can, listen as much as possible, and love them until the end of time. This is the least I can do for the people responsible for making me who I am today.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cherish indeed. Both of my parents left my life unexpectedly, so I really didn't get to say goodbye...
Life is precious. Wisdom of age is timeless and you have the ability to save your parents for your children's children. I hope you do.

mantz's_mission said...

Lori, you are absolutely correct. We all need to cherish the time with our family members. I just learned today a friend of mine lost his wife to cancer. The one child they had when living here is now 15. Since they left, they had a girl that is now 7 and a 3yo son. Dad is left to care and support those three children. I just wish that the 3yo had time to bond with his mother but those memories will be short. It is situations like these that make me appreciate my own family and friends. I also grow a deeper appreciation for the time my wife takes to do all of her scrapbook layouts. If it is not for those pictures and some of our video tapes, life would be just the memories we can keep in our minds.

Jewish Side of Babysitter said...

very true. It seems like a common theme in so many stories/movies, about cherishing the people you have while you have them, cause you never know what may happen next, and that you didn't get to tell them how much you love them.

Anonymous said...

Lori,
You are so right,both my parents are gone. I hope they had enough time with my kids and my brothers kids so they will also cherish their memories and pass them on.

ruthdemitroff said...

When parents die, suddenly you are the keeper of the family health history, religious beliefs, holiday traditions, special recipes, maybe even the family business or family home. The dead want to be remembered and the living want your blessings.

Anonymous said...

Excellent post. I have unanswered questions I never thought to ask when I could have. My mom was very sick before she was 60 and gone by the age of 63. My dad died a few years later. Cherish the time and visit as often as you can :)