So many stories worthy of their own miniseries go untold because we are too "busy" to take the time to listen.

The older generation, who will soon be leaving us, have wonderful tales to tell, definitely worthy of our attention. We would be the richer for the listening!

Whenever I hear of an older person dying, I think of the history that has passed with him. What could he have told me that would have enriched my life?

My 90 year old step-father is slowly slipping into senility. Whenever I visit him, he tells me detailed accounts of his WW2 adventures. Not tales of the battles, but of the relationships he developed with fellow soldiers. His stories are sometimes funny, sometimes sad. Often, the apparent delight he gets in telling them supercedes the story.

It is worth every minute I spend listening for the joy he derives in the telling as well as the insights I get from the hearing.

alanabit, thank you for this thread, Buddy! Someday, we will be the ones with wonderful stories to tell! (Perhaps we will tell of our friends we met at Mudcat!) Here's hoping there will be ears to listen!

ken