a loss

So, one of my favorite patients at the hospital has died. He was an elderly man and one of those really good, honest people. We discovered after a week or so that he was sicker than we had originally thought. He gradually declined as time went on. Although he didn't need a social worker, I would go in his room each day and listen to "stories." Basically, he would tell me about his life and every sentence began, "I remember when...." He remembered the Vietnam War and WWII. He remember Hitler and Churchill. He remembered when life was slower and a slower life made for smaller things being more exciting. He remembered when 20 cents would buy him a trolley ticket both ways, a movie seat, and a bag of popcorn. He remembered falling in love with his wife in high school and loving her still. He remembered so many things and I loved to listen. There is such treasure in elderly people. So much wisdom and dozens of lessons that I don't have. These people remember and experienced things that I have only studied in a text book. I wish that our culture treasured the elderly. We don't. There is an interesting book called The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It discusses that in some cultures, the eldest person is the one of most value, the one with the wisdom and guidance. It is an honor to grow older. In the American culture, the elderly often lose their value. The are slow, they can't keep up with technology, etc. I wish we could change our view. They have so much to offer.