Resident's Corner

Retirement

Neckties wrinkled on the closet floor; blue pinstripe covered with dust.
Which jeans to wear today? How do you clean tennis shoes?
Tough executive choices.
Off to the thrift store again. New residents donate; veterans shop.
Black boxes with stale bread in the refrigerator. Frozen soup in the freezer.
More trousers to shorten; Prufrock is my role model.
Making it all last - health, money, capacity
Who were those folks who swore they would visit?
Which battery will burn out today? Alarm clock, hearing aid, I-phone, pacemaker.
Does it really pay to replace them?

Keep the body fit. That’s the key.
Rabbits run, turtles crawl, snails slither
Careful- Don’t fall! Flex, straighten, huff and puff
When do you know you’ve done enough?
Is that tightness in your midsection the yield of last night’s meal at a friend’s? Or is that damned stent plugged again?

Retirement is not a solitary game, even if you are alone
Learning to trust when you can’t trust yourself.
Others have trod your lonely path. Shared missteps, Fool’s choices, Hollow gains
Foot in it one more time.
Yet, each a new beginning.
What’s past has passed. You can’t retrieve it. Old photos in bankers' boxes
Lines on a Curriculum Vitae that highlight forgotten achievements.
And maybe recent bereavements.

Read a book, take a class, study French; get a pass beyond the soft walls of aged restraint.
Have a date, find a mate It’s not too late to make new friends
Be it a woman or a man, connect at any level you can.
Right or wrong, Play a tune, Sing a song. Find anew where you belong
Omar said “The moving finger writes and having writ moves on nor all your piety
nor wit can cancel half a line”
And Archie opined “Toujours gay, there’s a dance in the old dame yet”

Retirement is not regret. Find the reward and run with it.
At least, move your scooter to flank speed.

Dan Lang, Creekview 206

LIFE

Life is the only thing from which one can die, so while you are living, give it a try.
It offers a lot if we just open our arms and eyes,
To see beauty in birth, blooming flowers and skies.
If we stop to embrace love, laughter, even tears, Life is an adventure to be lived without fears.

Ruthie Kosh, Wildwood 107

While the abolition of slavery and the preservation of the Union were the two significant results of the Civil War, the creation of our national cemeteries and the celebration of Memorial Day, then known as Decoration Day also were direct outcomes of the Civil War.

Memorial Day is America's most solemn national holiday. It is a day to face the grim reality of the sacrifice of all who died in military wartime service and to honor them as heroes. Organized recognition of those lost in battle began after the Civil War. It's not that the fallen of earlier wars were not mourned, it's simply that the large number of soldiers slain in the Civil War was so overwhelming that survivors felt a deep need to honor this ultimate sacrifice. And so women of the South began walking through nearby cemeteries decorating graves with flowers.

Gradually, other people throughout the land took up this custom. General John A. Logan, leader of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Northern Civil War veterans' group, called for a national day of remembrance, which he named Decoration Day. He chose May 30 since it wasn't the anniversary of any particular battle. President Ulysses S. Grant recognized this date and attended the first official Decoration/Memorial Day at the dedication of Arlington National Cemetery May 30, 1868. The speaker that day was General James A. Garfield, later the 20th U.S. President. The ceremony included prayers, hymns, poetry, a tribute, a dirge by the military band and the decoration of 15,000 Confederate and Union graves with American flags.

Quickly, 28 states established May 30 as an official holiday and encouraged citizens to create local Decoration/Memorial Day ceremonies. Gradually, the name, Decoration, receded from use, replaced by Memorial, which seemed to better convey the concept of honoring the memory of the dead. Finally, on June 28, 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This Act confirmed the name as Memorial Day and set aside the last Monday in May as the authorized federal holiday.

Regardless of the day, the words of General Garfield's Arlington Memorial Day tribute still ring true today. "For love of country they accepted death...and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue."

The Activities Department has planned a Memorial Day Program: "A Ceremony of Honor and Reflection" in Catalina Hall on Monday, May 27 so that we may gather to respectfully honor America's lost heroes. Details will be in the Update including how to participate in creating UVTO's Wall of Remembrance.