John
11/19/2009 03:18 p.m.
The uncle on my wife's side for 35 years has always been an enigma. Closed off and reclusive, John Bear Smith usually had no more than a grunt or two to say as you walked in and out of his house. He and his wife Louise always had a volatile relationship. Over the last couple of years the conflict had gotten worse. It came to a head over issues with their only daughter. As events developed other things were going on. Louise was going in early stages of dementia and John had developed in unoperable tumor, that made it impossible for him to eat.

They are now 85 and 84 years old and are legally separated. When the separation occured, John was given 6 hours to get all of us possesions out of the house.

Next he found he had cancer. His daughter came here from Savanah, ga to be with him full time to help see him through the crisis. He has been at a nursing home for the last several weeks.

Oddly enough this closed up grumpy old man began to open up to me. I found things about him that I did not know was there as he did me. Its a shame it took us 35 years to find this common ground, but at least in his last few months of life we have. I am sad for the loss of a 62 year marriage, but he is at least at peace for the first time in years. I am glad he is finding peace and a sense of dignity in his last days on this earth. The war in his wife's family over them continues, but for now he is no longer a part of the acrimony. He deserves the change to die without the conflict that has been a constant activity over the years.
I am currently Amazed
I am listening to mouse clicks