On the upside, it is nice and quiet and folks tend to be neighborly and friendly.
On the down side, we tend to have about a 25% turnover each year. Some of this is due to folks losing a spouse and then moving near their kids and grandkids. Some moves are due to illness which might cause someone to need to enter long-term care. Sometimes, it is a financial motive that forces them to move.
Then, like this week, we do lose a few to a deeper loss - loss of a life.
Pat was in her 70s and had just lost her beloved DH in December. When she joined our group this past March, she was thrilled to have a reason to get out of her home once a week, to get away and to get her mind off of her loss. We all grew close. We are a small group, never growing to more than half a dozen at a time.
We lost another member, also suddenly, last year. This time, this past week, however, what made Pat's passing so shocking was the fact that she passed away under very sad circumstances. She was found lying on her carport, near her car and had apparently been there a day or so. This really shook our group to its core.
I don't have any answers to why some folks die alone and others with loved ones nearby. I don't know why some pass on suddenly and others linger, suffering, until their time comes.
I only know that it happens to each of us, in our own time.
Father, we know that Pat is now at peace with you. Please, bless everyone, especially those I know and love, with an "easy" passing when it is their time, when you call them home.
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