Firefly Life

Yesterday, the Matron and her husband took the children to spend some time with Grandpa Dan (John's stepfather) who is dying of liver cancer.

He'll be 83 in December. As Garrison Keillor says in his movie: "The death of an old man is not a tragedy."

But it's difficult to see a life, ending.

Grandpa Dan spends his time watching Country Music videos from the 1950s and 60s. He's a World War II vet with a wall full of medals, some of them for valor during ground combat in France.

Hand to hand ground combat. The Matron can only imagine the horror of that. In 17 years, she has never once heard him talk about the war.

Yesterday was no exception.

She sat and watched videos with him for a solid hour. Mostly, in silence. Just taking in people who passed before us on this planet, already, ---acutely aware that Grandpa will be gone soon, and someday she will be leaving, too.