old bob

In his stories, as in his life, GhostRyder was primarily a soldier and his death should be commemorated like that of a warrior. "Der gute Kamerad" ("The good Comrade"), also known as "I had a comrade", is a traditional lament of the German Armed Forces. The text was written by the German poet Ludwig Uhland in 1809. In 1825, the composer Friedrich Silcher set it to music. "The Good Comrade" plays an important ceremonial role in the German Armed Forces and is an integral part of a military funeral. It is also used to some degree in the French Army, particularly in the Foreign Legion. When the song is played, soldiers are to salute, an honour otherwise reserved for national anthems only. Here is the English translation of the song : I once had a comrade, You will find no better. The drum sounded for battle, He walked at my side, In the same pace and step. A bullet came flying towards us, Is it meant for me or you? It tore (swept) him away, He now lays at my feet, As if he was a part of me. His hand reaches out to me, Meanwhile I am reloading (the rifle). "I cannot shake your hand (farewell), You must remain in eternal life (heaven), My fine (precious) comrade." I you want to listen the song : http://lalegion.de/joomla/mp3/8_ich_hatt_einen_kameraden.mp3

Life is really unfair, but the memories remain and that's the good side of our own journey from birth to death.

Congratulations on your blog! receiving a salary increase is always a pleasure. But what I like most about you, is your joy and especially your surprise. In reading your blog, I welcome your mood and your sense of reality. This reconciles me with mankind !

The older I get, the more days goes by quickly. People of my age, at least the ones I know well, are all very busy. In 1948 (65 years ago ! ) We were 148 to finish our high school and to successfully pass our exams. Today nearly a hundred disappeared. We, the "survivors", we usually meet us each autumn at a luncheon in the Geneva countryside. 3 weeks ago, we were 25 around the table and 22 bothered to send us a letter of apology, stating that they were still alive, even though they were often no more able to move. 32% of survivors, it is still a nice score! Having 85 years today has nothing to do with the old men of the same age I was watching when I was 20. Some of us are still professionally active, transmitting to employees or younger associates their experiences and knowledge. The most active of us, including myself, are solicited by long-time customers and are happy to still "respond to the demand." Others, although they are retired, work as volunteers in charity associations or participate in historical studies doing "a work of memory". Despite our age, despite some physical weaknesses, we all still want to live and to enjoy life. I wondered what is the reason of such a positive attitude. Searching on the Web (in this regard, I noticed that more than 30 of us had an email address and therefore were successfully adapted to modern means of communication) I "met" a psychoanalyst who gave me some elements of response. According to Erik Erikson’s "Eight Stages of Life" theory, the human personality is developed in a series of eight stages that take place from the time of birth and continue on throughout an individual’s complete life. He characterizes old age as a period of "Integrity vs. Despair", during which a person focuses on reflecting back on his life. Those who are unsuccessful during this phase will feel that their life has been wasted and will experience many regrets. The individual will be left with feelings of bitterness and despair. Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a sense of integrity. Successfully completing this phase means looking back with few regrets and a general feeling of satisfaction. These individuals will attain wisdom, even when confronting death. Well, I think I am one of them!

As I said in the Chapter 19, at the end of 1984 I got an unexpected proposal that made me completely change my plans. I was invited to take control of a Swiss shipping company with headquarters in Zurich, and offices in Genoa, Italy. This proposal came from Georges P., the investor who had already helped me by financing several films acquired by Ideal Film. I always had an excellent contact with my friend Georges. Our friendship went back to our childhood years during WWII... We first met in 1

Sorry to disappoint you. My knowledge of Italian writing are not good enough to correct such a beautiful text. Try to find someone else. Otherwise, I'm sure the person to whom it is intended will read it as it is, and understand its meaning. Good luck ! Old Bob

I'm no more the same after getting out of the hospital yesterday. I regained my good humor and my optimism. Contrary to my fears, the examinations were very positive. The cancer has stopped growing and all vital functions run smoothly. I should not have listened to the urologists who talked to me of an extension of the cancer toward the bladder. This is often the problem when dealing with several SPs who don’t agree with each other I For years I had to deal with the medics, either as patient or as builder and manager of clinics. I should have known that medicine is not an exact science and that the social status, origin, age, character and professional position of a doctor should always be taken into account in assessing the quality and the safety of his diagnosis. Docs are like other men, nor worse, nor better. That's what I forgot! A big thank you to all those who have supported me with their comments. You were right, the trials are there to test our strength and I shouldn’t lost so quickly my self confidence ! I certainly will remember the lesson, thanks a lot... Old (and young for ever ) Bob

In a few days, I shall find myself in the hospital for a range of unpleasant examinations. It seems that my cancer wakes up and my body has difficulty to resist its attacks. This is the worst time because I should rather take care of my wife, whose health declines day by day. She needs me more and more and I'm afraid of not being able to take care of her. So we have to make other arrangements, calling for nursing staff coming home. Neither she nor I want to end up in a hospital. Our house is a haven of peace and we want to stay home until our end. We are caught by our age! Learning to age and learning so quickly is never easy. Now, I have lost much of my optimism. The world around us is going wrong. The conflicts in the Middle East and the crisis in Europe, that never ends, announce difficult times. I'm not afraid for old people like us, but how will live my children and grandchildren in the coming years? But maybe I'm wrong? My state of mind is perhaps only momentary. All the stories I read in the evening on my favorite sites to change my mind speak of hope and happy endings. Tomorrow will be another day. Hopefully the clouds shall go away. We all live in hope ...

I like your blog. Typical for somebody who has all her life in front of her. Everybody fears death. It's part of the human nature. But what we fear is not the death itself, it's to be confronted with the sufferings and the pain of the crossing. Fear of the unknown has always been the source of all religions. Having faith in life after death is a gift that is not given to all. I wish for you to have it once. If not, you will grow and be granted with more life experiences, as I did. You will certainly learn a lot from them, as all of us, old people, did. At my age (soon 85), I have often been confronted with death, mine as well as those of others. It has almost become a friend, and the closer it is, the less I'm afraid. ‘memento mori’ , as said the old Romans.

Thanks for the hugs and chocolates. Life is funny, it's easy to forget the hard times we had both and just to remember the bad times (we had a lot, but always stood together ). She even accepted my sexuality !

As another member of the club, I salute the courage of Kitt. As Mike said so well, we all live with the hope of overcoming cancer. Knowing how to accept our fate with good humor is the key to success and - most important - always knowing that we are not alone helps a lot !

I agree 100 % all the comments above. With my "broken English" ,I can not find better words to express my pleasure to read your comments. Thank you to participate so actively to the life of GA. And please... don't stop to be "sappy"...It's so nice !

We live in a world without mercy for the weak. Everyone must choose a side in the fight for survival. We are often faced with difficult situations for ourselves or for others. Being aware is an advantage and to choose between compassion and indifference is always a conflict. Only experience can provide us with the means to solve it. You're still young and have much to learn. I'm sure the years will bring you all the answers to your questions. I experienced the same adventures and my years have given me the answers I needed. I wish you to also find them over time.

In a few days, I will celebrate my 84th birthday and my wife has just celebrated its 85th anniversary. But this is not the most important event. 62 years ago, fate brought me my greatest gift: I met the girl who became my wife. We were both young and we still are. The above photo was taken during our first meetings. Time has passed but the feelings are still the same. We went through the storms of life, overcoming many difficulties, enjoyed all the joys and sorrows of all these years. We accepted our flaws (especially mine!) and fought together against all the obstacles that have stood in our way : the death of two of our children, my financial problems, my sexuality, our health both declining. Today, we look with pride the long way we have been able to travel together. Our family grew. Our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren come to see us, all too infrequently (!) . And we get used to being alone, talking about the past and spend part of our time to classify hundreds of photos. My wife laughs at me when I tell her about my memories. She thinks I spend too much time working for the few clients that are remaining, all old friends who I do not want to let down. But I know that I still have enough time ahead of me to finish my story, even if the few readers who have followed me so far will have to wait a few weeks. The world is full of unhappy people. To all those who despair, the message I sent them is never to lose courage. Life is full of surprises. Rebounding depends only on you. My life is a good example of the opportunities that are available to all. The only point is how how catch them. Good luck to all.

I have read with great pleasure MikeL's blog 'Growing Old is Awesome' posted a few days ago. And then I went to look at his profile and I noticed that he was in his 71st year. He still has therefore some 15 years for having the same age as me, 84 years next month. I remembered how I was myself 15 years ago, in 1998. I too could have written the same blog as him, with the same title. I knew to enjoy my life without worrying about the future. I rejoiced in the morning to know that I could make the most of my day. I was happy to be able to organize my time without having to worry about my health. 15 years later, I have become a 'very old' man., My will and my spirit have remained the same, but memory and legs have increasingly more difficulty to obey to my will. So I have to take this into account. My short-term memory tends to let me down. So I got used to note everything that I should remember. My notes, sorted by date and subject, have effectively replaced this aspect of my memory. Instead, I remember much more of my distant past. Forgotten details come alive. I can still see clearly some episodes of my life and I better understand the underlying reasons for my actions. At least, I understand who I am, really. Every difficulty has its advantage ! Today, I'm happy to still have the strength to work, to meet the needs of my clients, to help them solve their problems. To be useful to others despite my age is both a joy and a duty. My work gives a sense to my life. I could not stay around doing nothing. Staying active keeps me alive. I wish all of you the same fate .