For those of you that never met him, my Dad never gave up. Ever. And one of the things that was most inspiring about my Dad is that he never gave up on people. Ever. He believed in them with such enthusiasm and such love that they would just go on and do great things. One of the biggest fights my father and I ever had was when he refused to give up on was himself. It was also my fathers most powerful lesson. I will never forget that fight because it hurt and enraged me and it wasnt until a few months later as I cared for my literally demented mother that I got the point. My sister and I had sent a trusted employee of my cleaning business over to clean my parents house. Why? Because I had ruptured my tendon, my sister was working and raising 2 children, my father was on an oxygen machine fighting cancer, and my mom had CHECKED. OUT. Literally. The employee was a Colombian woman and spoke no English, but her love and affection for my family is undeniable. She came and cooked and cleaned and then would cry to me because it was obvious that my father was nearing the end and she knew that it wasnt long for my mom as well. She was and is a wonderful woman. So one day, I was shocked to have her tell me that my father had refused to let her clean. Angry, I called him and demanded to know why. I dont need a stranger cleaning my house! I can clean it MYSELF! He replied. But DAD! I sputtered. Youre on an oxygen machine! So?! Your mother and I dont need anyone to clean our house! We can clean it ourselves! Dad! Youre DYING! NO! THATS where youre WRONG! Im NOT dying. Im LIVING!!! Dont you understand?! I didnt. I had given up on my own dad. But he hadnt given up. And he went on to live for another month. Truly live. He saw friends, studied his Bible, cooked (oxygen tank and all), & prayed. Right until he slipped into a coma on the 19th of December and died on the 21st. Months later as I was caring for my mom at the condo, my dads words came back to haunt me. She was lying on the couch curled into a fetal position. Her hair uncombed, clothes from the day before. Cookie wrappers lay on the floor, evidence of her latest nutrition choices. Her desire to do anything eaten away like those cookies. I realized then and there that my mom was not living. She was dying. Suddenly, I understood what my Dad had meant. My father had truly LIVED. On December 15th, it will be my parents 41st wedding anniversary. On the 21st it will be the 3rd anniversary of his death. And during those 6 days I want to do a Truly Living challenge. The rules are simple. No whining. No excuses. Just exercise ...like youre truly alive. Eat....like someone who wants to live a long time. Set goals...that show you BELIEVE. IN. YOURSELF. If you want to be part of this challenge group, then comment below and let me know youre in. 6 days. 6 days to truly believe in yourself. 6 days to prove youre truly living.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 12:15:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015