One of the greatest rewards in loving and spending time with a very senior citizen is that it is deeply appreciated by that person. Because of your caring, especially at this time in their lives, you become even more special in their hearts and minds.
Each person fortunate enough to live a long life witnesses the passing of family and friends and others and the physical incapacitation of many of their surviving contemporaries. Where once life was filled with family and friends, work and events and activities and vacations, now there is just television and maybe a care giver to break the monotony, as life has become terribly lonely and this person waits to die.
Then all of a sudden you call or even better, you call and then arrive. Even if it's once a week that once a week becomes vital to this person. They look forward to being with you as you offer stories of what is happening in your life and in life in general. And as a good listener, they can share stories of the past with you. Life gets even better when you take them out shopping or to a restaurant.
What you will find is that a very senior citizen has so much wisdom and compelling stories to share if you will open your mind to them. The joy you will feel from the time you spend with them will uplift your life, and when they have passed, you will recall their stories and your special moments with them and feel good about yourself for having done it and wiser for the experience.
When you realize that and feel it in your heart, you will understand that not only was the time a blessing for them, it was a blessing for you as well.
Dick
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