Family matters

Just got back from a week in Arlington, Virginia where I went to visit my (paternal) aunt.  She is 89 years old, will turn 90 in a few months, “mirabile dictu”.  Been single all her life, very independent, dabbles in the stock market as a hobby instead of crossword puzzles.

No chronic health issues until relatively recently, when macular degeneration began to seriously affect her eyesight.  Other recent health concerns since the start of the year have caused increasing concerns about her welfare and ability to continue to live alone safely.

I had hoped that I would be able to persuade her to fly back to Alaska with me and live with us in the downstairs kitchenette we have.  I phone her every week, and had frequently mentioned the idea, but her stock reply was always “What an interesting idea, very attractive, I’ll certainly keep it in mind and give it serious consideration”.  A polite brush-off.

I bought a one-way return ticket to Alaska for her anyways, on the chance that maybe she might yield to a sudden, impetuous “sieze the day” impulse and say “Oh, what the heck, sure, let’s just do it!”  Ha ha.  Not quite.  Didn’t happen.

But I think she was touched by my effort, and who knows- maybe it moved her to give the idea more serious consideration.  The annual lease on her apartment is due for renewal this fall, so that may be the catalyst for her to make the decision.

We had a great time together in any event.  In her thirty years of living just outside Washington, D.C., she had never been to the Atlantic shore.  Hard to imagine.  That had to be done, so one day we took U.S. 50 east to Rehoboth Beach.  Crossed the Chesapeake Bay bridge, which I thought was an incredible piece of engineering… and a “heckuva” great ride!  At the beach I waded in the Atlantic, while my aunt settled for stepping off the boardwalk onto the sand.

So now I’m home, recovering from the traveling, taking a few more days off before returning to work.  Today I had the first session of my final paralegal class, so the end is coming closer.  Right now though I’m falling asleep, so it’s time to get horizontal.  More later.