My Godmother

Last week my wife, my daughter-in-law, and I visited my aunt, Sister Anne, in a nursing home in Baltimore. She is also my Godmother and belongs to the religious order Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart (not to be confused with my younger sister Anne or cousin Sister Anne). My Godmother Sister Anne has always been such a hard worker, physically fit with healthy eating habits, and as independent as you can get in a religious order. So it seems strange to see her with a walker and needing so much care. Her vocation brings with it an accepting attitude for the challenges she faces. She retains her smile and cheery attitude but admits that she never thought the end of her life would be like this. She is not complaining about the loneliness of her forced retirement and idleness but is more surprised about it. I will make her look like a saint if I am lucky enough to get to age 90 like her. I never envision myself suddenly dying like some friends and family have done before me. But I also never think of myself incapacitated by long illness as others have been. So I wonder what exactly I think is going to happen to me. I recognize that I may not always be able to jog but I just figure I will cut back to walking. I think my Godmother is trying to gently tell me I am in for a big negative surprise one way or the other. Unfortunately I have not developed her coping mechanisms and when my time comes, I will be cranky and doing enough complaining for the both of us.

Advertisement