Observations 20 MAR 2009

Today was a sad day.

My friend's mom died this week. She had been quite ill for a long time, and was living in a nursing home. Then, her health finally failed, and she was placed in a hospice facility. She had her funeral today, and I attended. Most of our social group appeared for the visitation and funeral.

My friend kept his feelings under control; perhaps too much so. He usually hides his pain.

I felt the sadness of the occasion myself pretty badly. At the luncheon afterwards, I only had a small plate of macaroni and cheese. It was all I could handle.

Deaths are one way of measuring the beginning and ending of things. When my Uncle Bill died, on the very last day of summer 2000, it was a marker that the GI generation was finished. My other GI uncle's deaths were confirmations, but I was the last member of the family to have actually spoken to Uncle Bill, less than an hour before he died. It made it quite personal.

I could not have foreseen what would be happening less than two months from his death (the 2000 election), and about one year from his death (11 SEP 2001). My mom's family has quite a sense of timing. My Aunt Mary died right after the GOP's death warrant had been written in 2006.

By that time, I had discovered generational theory.

My mom, my aunt Mary, and my friends mom are all members of the Silent Generation. Many members of the funeral party were old train enthusiasts, like my friends mom (and late husband). With the loss of the Silents, all the safeties are off. We have a Live Weapon.

The nice thing is that trains might make a comeback, in the next generation. But the last attempt to hold the status quo ante-bellum is finished. By summer or fall this year, the financial system probably will have expired. Verdict: Death By Misadventure/Suicide.

Jean chose to go at a good time, like Uncle Bill.

EDIT: The funeral was on the last day of winter.