My father-in-law had a stroke 3 days ago. It has been very, very difficult. His mobility was not affected, but he has expressive aphasia, where he wants to speak but cant say what he is thinking. I am writing this here because it has really made me think about life. I remember all the years I spent listening to him talk about his life as a fighter pilot, jokes he would tell, stories he would repeat over and over, debates we would have, etc. I loved him dearly and loved his conversation, but would oftentimes find myself frustrated in a loving way because he talked so much! Now, I would give ANYTHING to have that back. I am writing this because I want all of us to try to remember some things: the little things that our loved ones do that frustrate us, the time we spend complaining about silly little quirks that might annoy us, the times we decide to do other things than spend time with the ones we love the most because we are too busy - NONE of that matters. When we lose even a part of someone we love to things like a stroke or whatever disability occurs, it hits hard that what we REALLY need to do every day is be grateful, grateful, grateful for everyone and everything we cherish. Our family, our dogs, our friends - petty things mean nothing. Spend every possible moment we have on this earth letting those we love know how much we love them. Dont get hung up on small differences. Dont harbor anger or resentment. Dont miss opportunities to spend time just being with everyone we are so blessed to have in our lives. Every single moment matters. Please, in honor of my father-in-law, go and hug everyone and every dog you love, and call those you love to tell them how much they mean to you. Focus your life on being thankful for each small thing. I am thankful for all of you.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 02:33:46 +0000
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