The forgotten birthday: He turned 89, but no one called
“As I turn 89, I’m sitting alone in a retirement home with a plate of ravioli in front of me. I don’t know who made them, and I don’t know if anyone will remember my birthday.”
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His 89th birthday rolled around. This day of the year, once filled with laughter, cakes, and chatter of loved ones was now just a distant memory of the life he once had.
The ravioli, still steaming, stood in front of him, but he couldn’t even take a bite. He remembered some happier times and couldn’t understand why the calls from his children and grandchildren became so rare, almost nonexistent. They did call and visited at the beginning, but now, they were all busy with their own lives and no one seemed to remember their old, fragile father.
“When they brought me here, they said it was for my own good,” he once told the nurse at the nursing home. “But I feel like I was left behind.”
This old man wasn’t mad. He chose not to hold grudges – he simply felt sad that no one remembered him anymore, not even on his 89th birthday.
He knew all to well that his family was busy working. They all had hectic schedules, but still, he didn’t ask for much, a single phone call would be enough.
He was sitting all by himself, with the clatter of utensils against plates.
The truth is that this man’s story is just one thread in a vast tapestry of forgotten lives.
The loneliness of the elderly is a subject we sometimes tend to avoid because it makes us feel uncomfortable, forgetting that these people were once everything we had – the only people we could rely on, look upon, and trust.
And now, they are surrounded by strangers, and that’s not what makes everything sad. The sad thing is that we don’t call them as often as we should and we don’t visit them as much as they expect.
It’s true that love moves fast, but we should never forget that our time with our parents and grandparents is running out.
One day, they’ll no longer be around, and we’ll miss them unconditionally. When that day comes, we’ll understand that we could do more, but it would be too late.
Today, take a moment to make that call!
