Two People I Love

Here are two of the people I love most in the world. One is my Dad, who is ninety years old. The other is Minttu, who has just turned sixteen months.

Minttu dressed as a unicorn

There is eighty-nine years age difference between these two important people in my life, and they were born in different countries, in very different conditions, so you would think that their lives would not have much in common. But the reality right now is this.

Both of these special people are very vulnerable at this moment in time. Both rely completely on other people to stay alive. Both need help feeding, washing, dressing, and going to the toilet. Both know how to laugh and cry, and both sometimes get very angry...  I can also confirm that both are incredibly stubborn. Both prefer to be in company than alone. Both often make me laugh.

Both of them sometimes refuse what they are given for dinner but will happily eat chocolate all day. Both of them enjoy eating blackcurrant juice, and both have recently learned to drink it through a straw.  Both seem to have trouble sleeping through the night at the moment, and although both need help picking their clothes and getting dressed, neither of them cares what they are wearing.

My Dad

There are differences of course. One has just entered the world, and the other may soon be leaving it. But at the end of the day, these two people are not so different when looked at from the perspective of their needs and their daily routines. Life seems to take us full circle. We rely completely on other people at the beginning of it and at the end, and our needs as human beings are pretty much the same. I guess the trick is to try and find ways to give to others during the bit in the middle.




What I can say for sure, is that I say thank you every day that these two people were brought into my life. They are both extremely precious to me. I hope that both will always be well looked after by the people surrounding them - and that most importantly they will always remember how much they are valued and loved.