FTA:
> She's gone now, too, like all of the real elders in my family.
If we're lucky, someday we'll become the real elders of our families.
> She's gone now, too, like all of the real elders in my family.
If we're lucky, someday we'll become the real elders of our families.
1. The oldest remaining members of a family. In this case, all you have to do is survive. I have friends who are already in this place, having seen their parents, aunts, uncles and others pass on.
2. Provide family memory and wisdom to those who want it. Some of this you can do by recounting your experiences, but a lot is by learning about the more distant past, distilling it, and sharing that. For example, I haven't seen any stats on this, but most folks I know who are really into genealogy started later in life. This takes more effort and I imagine that this kind of 'elder' status isn't something everyone attains.