Suddenly...

Every day I go into the assisted living facility I glance quickly at the table where the sign in books are kept. If a resident has passed away they post a picture with the dates of birth and death.  Often I know when a resident passes before the picture goes up.  Thursday was different. I hadn't been at the facility because of my dog's illness and my surgery.  One of the ladies I helped shop at Walmart had passed away. She hadn't been sick a few weeks ago.  She went to the hospital with an ailment not considered life threatening at the time.  She died a few days later. The pictures of the deceased always stun me.  Especially when the death is somewhat sudden.

Today some of us were invited into her room and allowed to take any personal effects left. The family had taken everything they had wanted. I surveyed her little apartment and saw what remained. I was once again  reminded how short is life and what little value there is in possessions. What personal effects that were in the room went in large part to semi-strangers. I ended up with a pair of shoes and a couple of bars of soap I had carried in less than a month ago.  The soap stayed behind. She was gone and suddenly so. There has to be a lesson there somewhere.