Ask Questions
The past few years have been interesting, to say the least. Growing older is a privilege that many people don’t get. On the survivor side of that, is the myriad of unanswered questions that seem to suddenly pop up once someone is no longer there to answer them. When my parents passed, I realized that I had a lot of unanswered questions about our
family. Then, my father-in-law passed, and all my agricultural questions were left dangling. I married the farmer’s daughter, so I had a lifetime of agricultural insights available while he was alive, and then I didn’t.
If I could offer my younger colleagues, clients, friends, and family members a piece of unsolicited advice, it would be start asking questions while you can. Visit family members that you don’t see often. Call, write, invite those you love to your life. One of my sons realized that he only had one grandparent left when his grandfather passed away. Now, he uses his Sunday afternoons to visit his grandmother. He rarely misses. I envy that, and I wish had done the same.
Of course, we’re all busy. We have things to do. We have our own lives to take care of, and that’s probably true for most of us. But, when they are gone, the unanswered questions that only they could answer will go unanswered forever. Do yourself a favor, sit with an aging parent or grandparent and write down their memories. Keep a journal of their life experiences. Not only will you learn a lot, but you will add a light to their lives that they may have thought had gone out. Ask questions.
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