Tulelake, CA— Watching people die
This is a very dark subject with no answers. But why do people die? I have been around for a while so I have some wisdom and experience on the subject. Looking back I am trying to remember the first time I experienced death.
When I was six years old is when my brother and sister’s father died. We were living in Macon, GA at the time. My Mom took my sister and brother on a Grey Hound Bus back to California for the funeral. I just remember crying a lot for no apparent reason.
Then I remember experiencing my first famous person dying. John F. Kennedy was my next person to die and watching the funeral on a black and white TV.
The next time I was 21 years old when a six-year-old young boy whose last dying wish was to be in the musical play “Oliver” with his Mom. She was also in the play with a leading role. He played one of orphans in 1975 and died of leukemia. I had a small part in the play too at the time.
The first funeral I attended was my grandmothers’ and that was hard. I was very emotional about the personal loss and my first funeral in 1978. Then the 80’s came along with John Lennon's death, both my friends’ parents. He was their only child. First his dad died then later as time passed his Mom died. The second and third funerals I attended.
Then my guardian son’s father passed away, then not too long later his grandfather died. That tore me apart when his grandfather died because he was like a father to me.
Back in the 90’s a young girl who worked at the radio station where I worked at the time fell asleep at the wheel and hit an oak tree on her way home from a party after she got into an argument with her boyfriend.
Then there was my Mom’s passing after I took care of her for seven years and the last time was my friend Anita. Where I helped her to die at home.
In the past month my friend’s mother has passed away and now the news that his brother who is also my fiend, has only about a year to five years to live.
Dealing with death is not an easy thing for any of us, young or old. As they say it is part of life. We are born and then we die.
The hardest thing for all of us to ask, is why? Why do we have to die?
What hurts the most is when children die. They have not had a chance to live their lives yet and I guess that bother’s me the most of all.
Well, my time is short and what time I have left I am going to make the best of it. Because none of us know when our time is up. Young or old like me.
Written by James Garland of Tulelake News
PO Box 772
Tulelake, CA 96134-0772
Home Phone (530) 667-4744
Cell # (530) 708-7852
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