Another meaning of aging

I heard an old friend of mine in young days passed away from a mutual friend. No detailed info yet. It seems he died unexpectedly. 

My aunt, having managed the sanatorium at this place and closing it decades ago, moved to a new place unknown to her. He was a neighbor to her there and always helped her since she had no relatives nor friends at all there. He seemed to have faith in Christianity influenced by her. 

In my teen age days, I often visited my aunt in summer holidays. I have known him then. He was also kind to me. We have driven around the area or have gone for fishing together. It has been a haunting memory for me. I wanted to thank him for his kindness to my aunt as well as to me. My younger brother told me he had met him there also and had been treated nicely by him.

Not much known to me regarding his life after that. He has later worked as a helper at a care facility and as staff at a hospice. That career seems to indicate what a polite and kind person he has been. I should have visited him those days. But the chance has been eternally lost. How has he lived? Any family members survived? I consequently gave questions to the person who let me know of his passing. No answer yet.

In elderly, we are deprived of own capabilities, social status or relationship with people well known to us. The last often comes on as their decease. Getting older is that process of losing things for everyone in the world. 

I almost flinched at that news of his passing. My mind still remained heavy.

 Time would solve such an emotion and sadness of loss making it accumulated it into the depth of memories. The pain would not leave me for a long time, though.  

Among things we lose in elderly, such relationship with friends or with family members should be most important, I learn it from this experience. That is why I feel his death as such a heavy and unbearable loss. The ultimate aim in our lives should be such a relationship. Such as social status, wealth or capabilities are not essential but fleeting in life.   

It might be a bit too late for me but it is worth realizing it. It is another meaning of aging.