More like death is trailing me...

It's been an interesting week and a bit with four trips to emergency to get ear wicks installed and IV antibiotics injected.  Who knew that an ear infection (albeit a middle AND outer one) could swell up the side of my head and make my left ear stick out a la Mickey Mouse.

This has me thinking about mortality in a serious way.  All of the graves that can be found archaeologically, and most graves that are found historically, are in time periods where microbes had an advantage that often caused death from what we would deem innocuous infections these days. 



Grandma Ham 100years old!

My friend just related a story today about her mother who was a resident microbiologist at the Royal Jubilee Hospital here in Victoria.  In order to hook her audiences in teaching sessions she would use photographs of gravestones of children and infants from the 'Old Burying Ground'---the cemetery on Quadra Street downtown---as folks seemed to always have an emotional reaction to seeing the memorials of those whose lives had been cut short.  It seemed a poignant reminder that the dead are indeed powerful and that they can inform us about our lives and world.

The other reason for mortality to be on my mind is having spoken to my grandmother today---she's turning 101 years old on March 12th.  We've been speaking more lately about what we think happens to us when we die and what that means for how we live life.  She's a feisty role model for me in so many ways!  I found a bit of paper the other day from a home-made divination tool (a la Angel Cards) that a friend of mine made for me.  She died after a long and arduous battle with cancer a year and a half ago and I miss her.  "It is not death that is our enemy, it is our fear of it that haunts us" Sonya Kazyss.

Something about turning forty this year that has brought focus to my mortality.  Or, perhaps, it has just as much to do with having people within my sphere dying right left and centre.

Not so much humour here today....next time I'll write about the 'family' cemetery that I'd love to explore more....oh, and a picture of my dad with ready-made gravestone!