Good Lives Lived

An elderly couple sit alone as they do most everyday. They've been together 60 plus years, active years, until poor health halted their busy schedules. With much for which to be thankful they harbor no ill feelings toward those who drop by on rare occasions, and certainly cherish every moment of chat time when someone does stop in for a visit. They understand how brief are the minutes in a day for those who vigorously run the race of life as they once did. This gracious pair do what they can for themselves, being entertained by reading, enjoying their unplanned naps, looking at old pictures, and reminiscing about the wonderful days of their past.

Their house is graced with personal memorabilia. A few awards, certificates, and honors of their achievement are displayed, but mostly pictures and objects representing friends, family, and church activities fill their walls and occupy space on their tables. Sometimes their conversations trigger a brief moment of sadness when a departed classmate or a good friend is mentioned. Mostly, now in their ebbing years, pleasant thoughts of old friends and friendly times they once shared fill the lonely moments as they sit together in silence. Less frequently, worn out stories told over and over at class gatherings and family reunions lie quietly stored away in their minds like precious exhibits in a museum case. These days a simple smile will suffice to represent  the boisterous laughter that filled the room when gatherings demanded the retelling of a story which had been exaggerated so many times that no one truly knew what really happened.

He looks at her, “Do you remember when…”! and he stops not having to finish because somehow she knows what he was about to say. She nods, and together they chuckle. Good friends worth remembering, wonderful moments never forgotten, cherished times retrieved in ancient thoughts, very thankful for the smiles they bring. The lovely twosome determined long ago that they would enjoy life together no matter what it brought along the way. Their love for each other would be more than enough to sustain them to the end.