The Elderly

I have always identified easier with the elderly.  They have tons of interesting stories and pieces of information on life in times past.  I can remember my grandmother completely freaking out one time because we were out for the day and she had forgotten her driver's license!  Yeah, it turned out, after I got her calmed down, that in her day - if the police stopped you and you had no proof that you had a place to life - then you were a vagrant and headed to the hoosegow!  Hard to believe that this was something that used to happen!  Gees!

And my mind is working through all of these elderly tax returns I am working on - each a picture of a lifetime and a status of where they are today.  By and large most of them are really not too interesting, but ever so often, I really want to go offline with some of them and find out their real story!

I was working on one last week, a widow, as are almost all of them! whom has not much going for her financially, 13 years older than me.  So, not exactly elderly, but something is wrong with her - mentally, if not neurologically - her ability to print or write quickly lifts her ability to that of my 90 year old great aunt before she died!  All but unreadable - but then I was trained by my great-aunt's insistence to write me, not call.  She never used the phone.

So, I see her handwriting and I see my beloved Aunt whom I loved a great deal in my first 10 years with her.  Then I find in her stuff that she spent her life working in aerospace.  What happened I wonder?  And like her, other filers I have worked on, she does support charities - the winner actually - 33% goes to charity historically!  Uhm, did I mention that she does not have much to begin with?

Probably the easiest return I have done so far.  Only social security, which sure is not much to draw on!

And her situation looks no better for this year, she is selling her paid for house and moving to a rental - she can not afford the property taxes any longer.  No family locally to draw upon ... I want to adopt her!  I would probably adopt most elderly people I have met so far.

So much confusion, so much betrayed trust and yet no options for them .....

Another widow, freshly made so this passing year, was married for 60 years!  I try to fathom 60 years of a shared life, with someone you love.  What must that be like, to love and then for so long?  I envy them their life together if this was so.  A year, a month, a week, a day - all are longer than I ever have known,  Sigh - the vacuum of being born broken so badly.  I hope for her that their life was precious as she has a few years left to go.  And a few friends to be around her ...

If you have someone elderly in your life - make them more a priority in your life.  Even if they are not "all there", they still need reassurance and direction - help, and to know that they are valued and loved.

I gave this as a message at church yesterday - just a simple three minute message ... people were in tears!  Truly, I have no idea why some folks in their 30's and 40's reacted so strongly - I might have expected this from someone in their 70's or older ...  I even had a 60 year old man come up to me and told me that he "felt" led to be at this church, yesterday's second service - and now he knew why.  He needs to show God's love - and - I just told him how.

Well, that was off of the wall and unexpected.  People hear what you do not say and see whom you are not it seems.