Life is short...or is it?

This is Sarah. She lived in a private nursing home in Roseville, California with my Aunt Edna.

I recently had the opportunity to visit my aunt...my mom and I made the 75 mile drive a couple of weeks ago. We stayed for an hour or so, chatting with her and reminiscing a bit about my Uncle Nick (Edna's husband) who passed away there in February of this year. Edna will be ninety soon...she and Uncle Nick were together seventy years.

On the way out, a little old lady sitting at a dining room table near the front door kept motioning for me to come over...her crooked little index finger held up, a sharply intent gaze directed right at me. I went over to the table and knelt down next to her, my aunt told me her name was Sarah. We talked for about five minutes, Sarah relating a few things to me about herself, "You know, I'm over 100 years old...or is it 200?", she said in a highly audible, barely understandable voice. She went on to tell me about a "recent" birthday celebration her family had for her where a lot of pictures were taken of her (I had my camera slung over my shoulder). I believe the birthday party she spoke of was her 95th.

I asked her if I could take a couple of pictures of her, she agreed....continuing to talk about herself and that birthday gathering, "There were a number of photographs taken of me there...very nice ones". Her speech was not clearly understandble, but her thoughts and intent were right on...she was very much aware of everything going on around her. I held her hand for a minute and let her continue, all the while the Russian lady who runs the home was patting her on the back and saying it was time for lunch. "Speak, speak, speak...all the time", the Russian lady said with a slight smile on her face. Evidently, Sarah had the gift of gab.

I snapped a couple of shots, and thanked Sarah for letting me take the pictures...then my mom and I left...Sarah was still talking when we walked out the front door.

We found out a week later that Sarah died twenty minutes after we left.

I've been in contact with my cousin Bob, Aunt Edna's son, about how to get those last pictures of Sarah to her family.

Life is short...or is it? Sarah probably met thousands of people in her 102 years of life...most likely she had a richly rewarding life...I can only assume. I may have been the last person she met. I just wish I had more time to listen to her stories...I'm quite sure she had many more to tell.