“When we lose an elderly person, we lose a library of knowledge.”
I don’t remember the source of the above quotation, but I believe it expresses a truth. When I think of a person with high regard for the elderly, I immediately think of my sister Clarice. Perhaps her caring nature and unusual maturity came from her experience as the oldest sister to 10 siblings in our family. Clarice was friendly to every one, but especially she was patient and kind to older people, even when most of her peers were not much interested. Clarice’s retention of names was impressive, but she also could recall various family narratives and how families were connected. Her warm personality caused people to trust her and love her. It is no wonder she became a nurse.
In the past on Memorial Day weekends, all my sisters, Clarice, Alline, Hazel, and I would visit several cemeteries. We enjoyed going to the grave sites, leaving flowers, and talking about the past lives of our loved ones. But Clarice had a broader focus. She would pause and read the head stones of individuals that my sisters and I had not thought about for several years. She could recall the details of many people although so many of the names she spoke sounded as if they belonged in a time of the long ago. There were names such as Greenberry, Lucretia, Gabriel, Louvenia, Jency, Isaac, Ardenia, Serexie, Coleman, and on and on. I loved hearing Clarice’s voice reading those names. It brought back warm thoughts of hearing my mom and dad going over their own recollections of those very same people.
Thank you, Clarice, for remembering all of them for all of us. My dear sister, what a blessing you were for anyone who touched your life.