a difficult day

I spent the afternoon with family visiting my paternal grandmother, who is spending a week in a Toronto-area hospital near her home for observation. I’m not going to get into a lot of detail here about her medical condition, but she’s basically not in great shape and it’s unclear to what extent she’s going to be able to recover from some recent health problems. We’ll know more after a series of tests are completed in the next few days. I’m young enough that I’ve only watched this process of aging and decay a few times and it really affects me to see this person I remember as being so alive reduced physically and mentally to her current state. So for all of you out there who haven’t called your grandmother lately, let me take this opportunity to remind you that life is fleeting and your relationships ephemeral at best.