Living a long time has its share of ups and downs.  Since my journey explored the options of a shorter stay on the planet let me just say the longer path works just fine.  But you will find every so often all types of intersections between the past and the present.  I found out yesterday that the clinic and hospital where my dad worked for twelve years is closing.  This facility is in a small town with not much economy to count.  My memory is of a thriving practice where the beds were filled constantly.  Things do change and years ago a regional healthcare system bought out the buildings.  No doubt there were all types of differences over the last few years from my experience growing up there.  Now the parent company will be closing all of the doors for good.

Grief happens to us not just when someone dies.  We do not always recognize the many facets of loss that occur regularly.  I left that town three decades ago.  My dad also left about that time to practice elsewhere.  My ties to the hospital are only in my mind.  What this piece of news does is bring back a flood of images from years ago.  I also do regret the practical loss of services in that area.  Good people will have to find work in other medical outlets because of this.  Maturity does allow me to look beyond my selfish interest in this news.  But to be honest about the whole thing I can say it is the end of an era in my hometown.

This complex saw lots of babies drawing their first breath there.  Even my sister was born up on the hill years ago.  I also saw death at an early age while growing up in that town.  Some drew their last breath within those walls.  Relationships were so much of what I did when wandering around waiting on my dad.  There were people in the offices to visit with.  Some of my classmates had parents doing various jobs there.  This is where I got my shots, had various ailments treated and once had a single piece of a beanbag chair washed from my ear.  So many of my friends grew out of that business of providing healthcare to a small town.  What is an economic decision for a parent company hits home to me.

We would be wise to accept that grief is not limited to death.  Growing older means dealing with that conflict between memory and reality.  You also face loss when the kids get older, moves are made or at any time life changes.  Growing as you travel in this world will call us to attention always.  We are very much who we are because of our past.  But it is true we can be who we are by God's presence seeing us through.  My heart does hurt from this news.  Reality says that pain cannot keep us from moving on to the next place.  Who we are along with where we go is contingent on how we draw near to God.  He never closes down or leaves us on our own no matter how old we become.

Bro. Trey