Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I took a walk with a dear friend and she told me her daughter, a friend of my daughter, has a medical problem that will require surgery.  Her daughter is a doctor, and in the best hands, but I feel her fear about this sudden surprise.  My friend has been so supportive to me and my family over the years when first my younger daughter, and now my older daughter have struggled with serious illnesses.  My heart goes out to her, and I'm praying the surgery goes well and the recovery is swift and easy.  My friends and I now have kids who are old enough to have their own health issues, and it's a hard adjustment to make.  There is always the possibility of random accidents and the like, but pretty much we float on their youth and good health, and have to deal with only our own health problems.  Now, though, the kids are not kids, and the grandkids bring a whole new set of risks and anxiety.  As my Zen teacher Yvonne used to say, old age is not for sissies.