Who died?

One thought on “Who died?”

1. That’s the trouble with this country nowadays: everything is carried too far. Not just the funeral, though–also the hostile reaction to it in some quarters. What’s the harm, after all? The music was nice. I’m not religious myself, but Episcopalian services are solemn and tasteful, qualities that are in desparately short supply in the U.S. today. And I found the planning and coordination quite impressive, in comparison with the half-assedness one has to deal with from everyday morons. Granted, the whole shebang was a bit elaborate, perhaps, but what the hell? And one didn’t have to watch all of it. Why the all-or-nothing? I caught a couple of hours total, Friday morning and p.m., and that was plenty.

   On a more serious note, I felt awful for Nancy. No matter that she was somewhat aloof and callous at times, White House china, etc. The look on her face betrayed a level of agony beyond most people’s comprehension. I know it all too well from my mother’s experience with my stepfather two years ago. It’s the look of someone who lived through the sheer torture of watching a loved one succumb to Alzheimers, oh, so slowly, year after year. A heart attack, an auto accident, kidney failure are a bagatelle comparatively, and I don’t mean that flippantly. It was bad enough for my mother, who had to endure “only” 4-5 years of it before my stepdad died of cancer. When the doctor diagnosed the latter, (which didn’t hit until the Alzheimer’s had been advancing for 2-3 years already), he told us point-blank, “Pray that the cancer finishes him off first.”

   So it boggles my mind to think of Nancy enduring 10+ years of that hell. I don’t care how much money or how many influential cronies the Reagans might have had; it doesn’t make the slightest difference. Watching someone die of Alzheimer’s is the world’s worst. If a cure had been available, Nancy, I am absolutely convinced, would have parted with her last cent to get her hands on it.