[originally posted June 3 2011, 3:49 AM]
Bill and Iris Belden got married in London Mills, Illinois 61 years ago today. My grandfather, Granville Arthur Belden, a United Brethren minister officiated.
It's a bittersweet celebration. Iris has been wanting to come home from the hospital all week. Bill has been missing her, and concerned that she is sleeping okay without him. He keeps reaching over in bed at night to touch her, only to discover she's not there.
Their three children, myself among them, have emailed, texted, conference called, uploaded, and otherwise collaborated to usher their aging parents into the next era of their lives together.
Mom will enroll in hospice care today, with an uncertain diagnosis but a clear enough final trajectory. She never did talk a lot, so the clues to her decline only emerged in detail from the wonderful staff at McDonald's in Altamont, Illinois. Marilyn and Nancy deserve special mention, though I'm sure there are others that are as concerned and caring.
They'll have two new friends none of us have met yet, living with them as constant care-givers. Dad will talk their ears off in a smiling and most engaging way. They'll be at home together, which is what they always wanted. My parents weren't real demonstrably affectionate (common in their generation), so I've seen dad kiss mom on the lips more this week than I did in the 18 years of growing up in their home.
So Happy Anniversary, folks. Enjoy every moment for the rest of your lives.