Seeing people fade...

I have made many friendships with folks at the retirement center where I intern.
The hardest thing has been watching some of them become weaker and more sickly.
There is one particular man who is such a dear person. He is a WW2 vet, country boy type and loves listening to the Cardinals on the radio.
He can't really see anymore, everything is fuzzy.
But despite his health fading, he's at almost every worship service, and stays later to sing hymns while the piano is playing.
Yesterday, he wasn't at the Thursday morning service. I had not been at the RC in two weeks because of my morning class and a heavy schedule, so I am taking a few weeks off, sans pulpit filling.
I visited him in his room once the service was over, and he was weak, but still wanted me to read the Bible to him and tell him about the sermon.
We talked, we prayed, we smiled together.
I don't think he'll be around much longer, but I am glad that I was able to befriend him and learn from him. I will be sad for a while, but happy always to know that he's in the presence of the Lord.