Steven Boone Fine Art

Now that I am traveling again, the world speaks to me in new ways, and I listen. My parents have provided me a room, but it is barely large enough for a bed. I cannot fit my suitcase or clothes, so my belongings are half in their house and half in my car. In THE DREAM, material things are of no concern, for it is consciousness of unfolding time and events that are most important. It seems the moments are wrapped in wonder.

It is a revelation to me how my parents have slowed so significantly. My father has pronounced that he does not think he will live more than another two years, and my mother also speaks of dying. Her legs are weak and when she attempts to stand and raise herself from her favorite reading spot at the dining room table, she has to grip her chair and the edge of the table, then rock herself back and forth several times before launching forward with her arms and push herself onto her feet. My father is losing function in his hands and cannot write anymore. He has fallen down numerous times and occasional stammering hampers his speech. Both of them are acutely aware of and concerned for each other. “Age does not protect you from love, but love to some extent protects you from age.” Jeanne Moreau (Fr. born 1928). Their dog is a fixture, and after my mother prepares the food, my father gets down on his knees to hand feed the old creature.

I am able to see myself in my parents, and get a close-up picture of aging. One thing I realize is that in youth we take our strength and stamina for granted and push forth with many projects. But in old age, as the body weakens, people are often forced to pay less attention to what they want to do and more attention to the simple task of getting from point A to point B, and surviving another day.

Really, in the scheme of eternity, a human life of 90 years is less than a blink of an eye. My dear daughter Naomi died when she was nineteen, and my father might part when he is eighty-five . . . it is essentially the same length of time: less than the flash of light from a falling star.

Here is a video clip from The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, honoring my father, Richard W. Boone: Video