Our Last Farewell?

Well I suppose it’s time for another blog. It has been a while but in my defence I’m not the kind of person who can just sit down and write if I don’t feel that I have something to say. So…I guess I’ve finally got something to say, lol.

Now that the ‘Ides of March’ are behind us, it will soon be time for my wife and I to pack up our little home away from home to head back home to our number one home in our home country of Canada. (Ha!! That’s 5 ‘homes’ in one sentence!’ I make it sound like we’ve been coming down here, to Yuma, for quite a while but really this is our longest stint here so far.

This year we came back to our home away from home at the end of December and our departure time is now coming upon us far too quickly. This is also the first time that both Janet and myself have lost some friends here. Janet had one person, from one of her clubs, pass away and the second is in the hospital and is not expected to return.

For me it was the lady who was in charge of our Creative Writing group. She and her husband sold their place here and said this was going to be their last trip down as her husband was having medical hardships. But also, just recently, one of the ladies from our group announced that she would need dialysis to keep going and she informed us that she declined the treatments. What??? At 91 years she has decided that she has had a good life and that’s that. I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach.

My mind drifted back to my first time coming into the group, shy and nervous about meeting everyone, she met me at the door, bade me welcome and sat me in a chair beside her. I immediately liked this woman. I still listen intently to all the stories she shares with the group.

This day, reality hit me right between the eyes. I hadn’t really thought about this place (Country Road RV Resort) as a final retirement destination. People just came here to escape the harshness of winter, or so I thought. But yes, this is a community full of aging seniors, myself included. It only stands to reason that at some point we will all ‘move on.’ But can anyone truly prepare themselves for what could be that last goodbye?

I never say goodbye. So before we leave for home I will join my club one more time. I will say, with sadness and probably misted eyes, so long, I hope to see you all in December, take care and enjoy life. I’ll miss our time together. Please stay in touch.

Then I’ll pray that we will all be together once again next season.

Be well my friends and until we meet again,

Cheers!