This is a re-post from 2009 as a Therapist at Imagine Hope Counseling Group.
My 95 year-old Grandfather passed away this past week. He lived a very healthy life but developed dementia the last couple of years. Eventually, he contracted a really bad infection that he suffered with for almost 3 weeks until it took his life. The last couple of weeks my Mother and her sisters tried to make him comfortable, watching a strong man deteriorate. He rarely opened his eyes and couldn’t communicate verbally. The night before he passed away he opened his eyes and my Mom could tell he wanted something. She kept asking various questions until she finally realized he was wanting a picture of my Grandmother that was by his bed. She put the picture in his hands and he stared at it for 45 minutes. She said it was the most precious thing she had ever seen. He closed his eyes, went to sleep and passed away the next morning.
My Grandfather saw a lot of things in his life, experienced many wonderful times, and lived a good life. He and my Grandmother experienced their ups and downs I am sure. He was always concerned with looks, status, and his accomplishments. But in the end, what really mattered, besides his Faith, was his relationship with his wife. He wanted the last thing he ever saw to be her face. It reminded me of how important relationships are. When all is said and done our relationships are what matter. Nothing else- not money, status, what we accomplished…. none of that will matter when you are leaving this world. What will matter is who we spent our time and our lives with. It’s all about relationships…