End times

What do you say as life winds down? I know it is right to visit old friends and family, but I don't know what to say. And that's complicated further as family paths diverge so far that the only bridges are shared names, weddings, births, deaths.

I could talk about next week's trip to the South, next month's work, impending graduation and college plans, but I cannot banish the looming thought that the person I tell the stories to will not be here to see the graduation, indeed might not be here when we return from the southern trip.

What if I asked outright how he feels about life coming to a close? But the immediate family doesn't want to talk about this, and it's not my place to raise the questions they so gracefully avoid/evade. So I sit in the room, listening to the conversational patter about relatives I don't know and the stories so well-worn that even I remember them.

I hope that just being present serves as a sign of respect and affection. That may have to be enough.