Aging

(Unless otherwise noted, the stories about Kathryn Tucker Windham are written by her daughter, Dilcy Windham Hilley.)


As Mother progressed into her 80s, it was necessary to see her doctor more frequently.  It’s a distressing fact of life that, as we age, we often see more of our doctors than we do of our family.


Selma’s Dr. Boyd Bailey spent more than a decade taking excellent care of my mother in her later years.  He repaired broken bones, compressed varicose veins, prescribed diuretic drugs, and generally kept Mother assembled until she departed this life.


One day, during what must have been a rough patch in her generally healthy life, Mother had an appointment with Dr. Bailey.  When he called her in, she told him with some discouragement that her years were getting the better of her, that she was feeling old.


“Nonsense, Miss Kathryn!”  Dr. Bailey replied.  “You’re simply on the outer fringes of middle age!”


Let us all take that to heart.