A Meaning

You may have guessed that yesterday’s post was an analogy.  If you did (and I have never quite learned subtlety) good for you.  Not everyone will... The seeds and young flowers and saplings are the children we raise.  The Fall is the time we change from raising our children to beginning to care for our parents. The Winter is the eldercare time, where we must care for our parents (disclaimer, I had no children, but at 16 to18, I did a lot to raise a new sister). 

Helping to raise my young sister was a joyful experience.  I changed more diapers than most real Dad’s back in the 60’s, did more baby-sitting than most teenage girls, pulled out bee-stingers, bandaged more scraped knees, and played more 4-8 years games than any teenage guy I ever met.  I didn’t mind it a bit, and I was a better guy for it.  I saw that flower grow and thrive.  She died in her “late Summer” of a genetic problem she was born with.  We were always close.

But Summer changed to Fall over the years, and first it was Mom who’s health failed.  It was rapid.  But now I have Dad, at 90.  He lingers like the old mature trees that keep managing to continue as they grow older, failing.  I have a tulip poplar that I have loved for 26 years.  It was mature when I moved here (like Dad).  It is failing (like Dad).  This Fall, it actually sent out a few new leaves out of season.  It is dying (like Dad).  It it trying hard to stay alive (like Dad).  But it is failing and there is nothing I or anyone else can do about it (like Dad).