My aunt keeps working, even though she is well past retirement age and draws her monthly social security check. She is my father's twin sister, they being two of six children, all the others girls. Daddy used to tell people that he had five sisters, and they all had a brother.

Life was good for Mom and Dad. They'd raised three kids, saw those three children have children of their own, and watched these growing families venture out into the world to make their own way. Dad was near retirement when their fortieth anniversary came to pass on December 24, 1999. The plan was to go back to Germany. My cousin's husband had given them two buddy passes, as Delta employees are allowed to share, and they were flying over the following summer after Dad retired in the spring.

February came around, and the retirement party took place. Dad had already retired from the military, having served honorably for twenty-three years in the Air Force. We were all so glad that we could see him retire from another job of eighteen plus years where he started at the bottom and worked his way up to upper management. His contributions to this company were well respected and carried on even to this day.

Daddy retired on February 1st. On Valentine's day, he watched the NASCAR races - he was a big fan - then decided he'd go for a walk. His heart gave out on him two blocks up the road, where two young boys in their pre-teens found him lying face down in the road, non-responsive.

One of the boys, a recent CPR class graduate, tried to roll Daddy over in order to perform the CPR he'd learned in boys scouts. But Daddy was too heavy for him; too solid, too everything. He was already gone, as evidenced by the lack of bracing a person does when they fall forward. It was the skinning of his nose and forehead that lead the doctor to believe he never knew what hit him, thus he never braced himself for the fall.

Daddy would've been 62 had he lived ten more days. His heart failed him on Valentine's Day, of all days.

So my aunt, Daddy's twin sister, keeps working. I think she might believe that if she stops, she too, will face the same fate that her brother did.