A grandmother sends a letter to a newspaper from a nursing home to recount her loneliness
Some call it the cycle of life, for others it is a sign of the indifference of our times. When we are young we are full of energy and surrounded by friends and relations. Then we form our own family and establish strong affections. But when our children grow up and start their own life, then it can happen that we remain alone, tragically alone.
An elderly lady, a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, shared her story with a Spanish newspaper. We offer the translation of her moving letter that compels us to reflect on how we behave with older generations.
It's entitled: "What I have and what I don't have".
"This letter represents the sum of my life. I am 82 years old, and I have four children, eleven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and a room that measures 129 sq ft (12 sqm). I no longer have a house and not even my beloved things, though I have someone who tidies my room, prepares food for me to eat, makes my bed, checks my blood pressure, and weighs me. I no longer have the laughter of my grandchildren, I can no longer see them grow up, hug each other or quarrel; some of them come and visit me every 15 days; others every three or four months; others, never.
I stuffed eggs nor Kibbles or minced meat rolls, or cross stitch. I still have some pastime to do and sudoku that I entertain a bit '.
"I don't know how much longer I will live, but I have to get used to this solitude; I do occupational therapy and help in whatever way I can those who are worse off than me, although I don't want to get too attached to them --- they disappear frequently. They say that people are living longer. Why? When I'm alone all I can do is look at my family photos and some personal objects that I have brought from home. And that's it.
I hope that future generations understand that parents create a family so as to build a future for tomorrow (with their children) and we should repay our parents with the time that they gave to us while raising us.
The letter, published by a newspaper in Granada, was shared on Twitter by user Aner Gondra and instantly went viral. We hope that new technologies will help youngsters to better understand life and encourage them to show respect and love for those who have preceded them. After all, what could be nicer than spending some time with their grandparents?
