Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Standing, staring

Just over a year to the day since my grandmother's death, my grandad gives my brother a birthday card. It's of the 'to our grandson from his grandparents' description. Except, inside he has crossed over any plural words in the card's cheerful patter and replaced them with the singular version. This may largely boil down to his famed pedantry, rather than a lonely old man's plea for attention, but I still find it deeply affecting.

It seems so sad that after lifetimes with their soulmates beside them, so many people are left waiting for their remaining years to peter out, missing the one thing that must have felt like it would always be there.

5 comment(s):

Lottie said...

It's something I think about quite often. My Grandparents (on my fathers side) were very much in love and lived life for each other. He died relatively young and she never got over it.

I can imagine it's the most heartbreaking thing in the world to lose both your lover (old people having sex - not a good image) and your best friend all at once.

There was a couple at home who died of natural causes within two days of each other. I firmly believe that the husband died of a broken heart after loosing his wife. It's so sad.

Anonymous said...

Sure is sad.

B said...

I've a grandaunt who's spent the last decade in shock over her husbands death, they were so close it seems like the only appropriate reaction in my mind.

Something nice about being able to miss someone that much though... I'm not sure what

Andrew said...

Lottie - Yeah, I think that can deinitely happen. I suppose it's not all that surprising, really.

B - I know exactly what you mean, there's a part of me that reckons i simply couldn't go on functioning properly if certain people in my life died. But yeah, you're still better off having had someone that close to you and losing them than never having them at all.

Lindsey said...

I can't believe it's been a year already.