In the Blink of an Eye

A beautiful home, red brick, pretty painted windows, lots of shrubs. This is where she lived. A woman of age, a lady of many stories, a mother and wife. This is where Anna lived, here with her son and his family.

It was a joy to come here five days a week, to care for her. We would watch television together. I would fix her dinner and give her her nightly medications. When I saw the second yawn, I would ask her if she was ready to start preparing for bed and she would give me that delicate smile and nod her head yes.

This was pretty much our routine nightly. The only real change would be when her son and family were all home together and when I would walk in, I was usually invited to sit and enjoy supper with them. I always accepted.

It was during these precious moments that I was given the opportunity to get to know about this family and learn more about the history of the lady I was caring for. I really did enjoy these meals and family time together. After weeks went by, I actually felt a part of this entire family.

One of the biggest topics that were spent over dinner was about flying. Father loved everything about flying. In fact, the entire time I cared for his mother, he was taking flying lessons. He would tell us all about the feelings and rushes that he had while in the plane.

The family talked about the adventures they would take after dad got his pilot license. The three kids would always jump up from their seats and ask when they would get a turn. I could see the love in all of their eyes as they looked excitedly towards the next months.

There came a time when it all came to end, as life usually does give us changes we don’t like. The lady I cared for passed away. I was very sad and also sad that I didn’t get to intertwine with the family any longer. I went to the funeral of course and I kept in touch with the family, but you know how it works, times ticks by and life moves on.

I hadn’t heard from these nice people in sometime and then on New Year’s eve, I was glancing through the news on the internet and there it was. There was an accident, a plane accident. Two people died. It was the pilot with the new license and his wife. They had been flying their first trip and hit a low area. They were instantly killed.

My heart broke in two and when I think of them today, my heart still breaks. I told you this true story because I want you to remember this on New Year’s eve, when you are believing your thinking is good enough after only a few drinks to drive. Don’t, don’t do it, don’t drink and drive. It only takes one blink of an eye and life can change everything, as you knew it.

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