Placing a loved one in a nursing home has to be one of life's harder decisions. That's what IT Guy has been struggling with this holiday.
No, FringeGirl, he's not placing ME in a home. It's his mother. But bib to bib is our destined life cycle, if we're lucky - or unlucky - enough to live that long.
Sorting through someone's life's possessions is a painful yet interesting process. M-I-L didn't throw anything away. Neither did her parents. The ID card at left is from when she managed the Post Exchange at Camp Bowie, Texas, at 22-years of age.
Her father's driver's license is dated 1936 and has the vital statistics hand written in pencil. Licenses back then had two tearaway sections for, apparently, when the driver received a ticket.
The bottom tearaway states "Detaching this stub reduces license to second class." The tearaway in the middle of the license reduces the license to third class.
The section on the back of the license is a Felony Conviction Report and revokes the license altogether. A policeman could see if the driver had priors faster than in today's computer age!
One of my favorite pieces is the Official Headlight Certificate dated 1927. Not only did your headlights have to be in compliance with the law in the State of Texas but the certificate had to be presented to the tax collector when you registered your motor vehicle.
The certificate clearly states on the back, "Do your part to make night driving safer in Texas."
My New Year wishes for you are that your headlights are in compliance and that your driver's license remains long.
I do feel for your husband. I had that experience a long time ago. Interesting stuff you wrote about, though. We should all have long drivers' licenses and the even longer ability to use them.
ReplyDeleteWow, those are priceless documents. My grandpa passed away this summer at 93. My grandparents lived with my aunt, but grandpa watched grandma all day while my aunt was in work. My grandma has Alzhiemers and we had to put her in a nursing home this summer. She's not safe on her own. I stayed in GA for a couple of weeks to help get her settled and it was really, really sad.
ReplyDeleteMan, I'm actually crying writing about it...sorry. It's a tough decision, but sometimes it's the best one for the circumstances. I'm not sure I even want to grow that old.
Glad you're not being put away...yet! ;-)
-FringeGirl
She was so pretty in her youth. Such a great smile. I love that they kept those important papers. We should all do that. Now I cut them up, throw them away.. not anymore... PJ
ReplyDeleteWhen my mother checked into a nursing facility,
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see posted on some of the
doorways a photo of the lady resident in her
youth alongside a photo of her at an advanced
age. It was, no doubt, a loving gesture from
a family member: a reminder, to visitors &
the resident herself, of the vigor, the
confidence and the enthusiasm of youth that
once powered the frail woman that now resided within the room. May we all have someone to so honor us in our old age.
What cool finds! I love going through junk! It's like treasure hunting. Hope she gets settled happily and it works for all of you! Karen
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking at the treasures you posted on your blog. I can't believe a headlight certificate. Gone are those days! Your mother-in-laws' old picture is quite interesting showing color of eyes, height and I can dream to be 106 pounds again, can't I?
ReplyDeleteJoyce
I think of my mother and how she was such a collector of "things"... I also think of how my sister cleaned out the house when mom passed away and how I'm sure she threw away things that were priceless. I can't fault her, I would have probably done the same thing had I been there to help... but I agree... not anymore.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!