Our beloved Luke Kot

Our beloved Luke Kot

 

Luke can be very funny and I have noticed over the years that his one great delight is to make others laugh.  I remember once when a woman came up to him and started to speak in Spanish.  Luke listened intently and making all the right responses, you know moving his head up and down etc, and then when she finished and waited in expectation for a response, Luke responded in Polish.  The woman stopped, blinked and then started to laugh very loudly over this unusual situation.  Fr. Luke of course can’t speak a word of Spanish.

He likes to get up early, at 5:30 and when I wake him up, he is immediately ready to go.  Even though he is almost 102 years old, he can still move fast so I have to watch him.  He has trouble walking and he does not always understand the danger he can put himself into, if someone is not with him. 

He can race in his wheelchair, though he can’t turn as well as he used to, though even then, he does better than those youngsters who are in their 80’s.  He likes to tell me that food does not interest him, until I put some eggs and sausage and buttered bread in front of him.  Coffee is still a favorite and from time to time, tea.  His appetite is holding up and that keeps him strong and alert.  He does get confused from once in awhile, and thinks he is somewhere else, in another time, but for the most part he is pretty well grounded.    

I have noticed that he gets gentler as he ages.  He still has a temper and once in awhile he will let me have it, much of the time I deserve it, so he keeps me in line.  Rafael, his other caregiver really takes good care of him.  He likes to make special dishes for him, while with me... well my cooking skills are limited to what I can put in the microwave.  I am happy Rafael is here, for he is one of the reasons that Luke is so happy, he gets lots of attention, loving attention from him.

This morning I was teasing Luke about his upcoming 102^nd birthday and told him we were going to take him to six flags and take him on a roller coaster ride…..his eyes got wide and he laughed and said: “now that would be a send off”.  Not sure if we are going to have a big celebration for his 102^nd, but if his is still here for his 105^th …. I think we will invite the whole town of Conyers to come on out and celebrate with us.