Age is only a number!

 

They say, "Age is is just a number", but I have to tell you all how incredibly impressed I am with the Paynter family tree. My Mother-in-Law, Pearl Foster, is 90 years young and as spry as a spring chicken. She still lives on her own in Haliburton and is one of 7 children who were raised in rural New Brunswick, amid the splendor of the temperate forests of the Canadian wilderness. Much of her childhood was spent without the things you and I take for granted these days like a vehicles, phone or hydro. Pearl, like a lot of her siblings, moved to Ontario as a young woman, married a strapping lad from Cheltonham (ON) and raised her family here. My eternal thanks to she and Jim for welcoming me into her bubble, to coin a more recent phrase, when they gave their blessings to my marriage to Joyce. Pearl is a wonderful person! And I'm not just saying that because I married her daughter!

Pearl has 2 remaining siblings, each of which have reached an age milestone that many can only dream of. My wife and I recently helped my MIL get down to Georgetown (ON) to have a visit with her almost 95-year old brother Dick. Like Pearl, Dick still lives on his own, albeit with some assistance from his amazing family, and proudly bragged about being in the same house since 1957. I will tell you that it looks incredible with a spotless interior and a well manicured yard. Dick and Pearl have a "younger" 89-year old sister named Martha who still lives in NB with her two sons Charles and Brian. Their other siblings have passed on ... John was killed in WW1, Charlie in 1996, Ruth in 2002, and Dean in 2010 ... but I still say that the Paynter's longevity is the stuff of legends.

Dick was recently labelled by his doctor as, "One of the fittest 95-year olds" she's ever met. He's got a quick wit, is incredibly generous, and stoically stubborn ... in a good way ... most of the time. At 94 3/4, he's understandably slowed down a bit, but there's still that devilish twinkle in his eye and you can immediately tell that his family is his dearest possession. 

Sadly, in this day and age of technological connection, my wife and I have allowed large chunks of time to pass between face to face reunions, but that is something that was discussed in length on the trip home and vowed to be addressed. The visit to Georgetown helped to mitigate some of that issue as the day's trip included our cousin Kevin (Dick's son) and his daughter Kelly who brought her youngest with her, 2-year old Travis. It also included our cousin Cathy (Dean's daughter). Our cousins were only too happy to share news of their families and what they were up to. As a testament to the strength of the bonds between us, Joyce and I quickly felt at home, sharing tales of our own children's escapades, bringing smiles all around.

When the inevitable end of the visit arrived, it was readily evident that the familial bonds between Dick and Pearl were as stronger than ever with small signs that the emotions of the moment were having an impact. There's a lot of love in the Paynters, and that partially explains their longevity, at least in this writer's opinion. I'm going to predict that the time between visits will be significantly shorter, and maybe we can include our own children's families to boot.

All in all, it was a pretty good day ... Life is Good!