it goes on......
If you're lucky....
Coming off a weekend spent physically (and emotionally) moving my father out of his assisted living facility....the life goes on mantra means more to me than it did yesterday....
Besides the fact that I'm tired and just a tad bit nervous and stressed and overwhelmed, I'm also a little wiser.
Yes, I know....with age, you gain wisdom.
But, what I found out is....with more age, you gain acceptance.
Thus making acceptance the ultimate wisdom.
Acceptance is what I saw in my father yesterday.
As he sat in his new home--my sister's house.
He accepted--
*a place he never lived before...in all of his 89 years.
*a place he visited on holidays or birthdays or special occasions is now his home.
*his third home in less than a year.
As his daughters and son-in-laws scampered about--moving furniture and checking wiring and testing intercoms and figuring out TV remotes and going through emergency drills and confirming schedules and working out menus and his young grandsons played video games and his granddog Willy sat at his feet--I could see the acceptance in his blue eyes.
As the TV blared and his new world began to emerge, his lips were still.
When he did speak--it was only to remind us that it was his brother's birthday.
His dear little brother Patsy's 88th birthday.
The beloved brother he buried a little over 2 months ago.
I could tell in his voice that he had accepted the fact that Patsy is no longer here....
And, it got me to thinking....acceptance is a peaceful way to live.
Acceptance is not the act of settling or complacency.
It's the conscious act of being wise enough to understand what's really important in that moment....in that very moment.
It's the wisdom to appreciate the seemingly insignificant pleasure of a comfy chair, a warm afghan and a plump ottoman and a place to call home....
As the day went on and I busied myself with the tasks at hand, I couldn't help but give thanks that I am blessed with a father who has the ultimate wisdom to accept what life gives him.
And, I silently prayed that I inherited his acceptance genes.....
My father---accepting his new home and the comfy chair that is now his....
6 comments:
Hope that he's very happy in his new home.
Beautiful post! Once again our lives are running in parallel...I spent the weekend getting the folks ready to move to their retirement place. You said it well...it was emotionally and physically draining. We have so much to still learn from our parents.
Ah, Judi...I look back 15 years and I see myself going through one of the most trying times in my life. I also was a newlywed and that added to my stress. I managed to gain 120 pounds in the next few years and thankfully you won't have that problem. The stress can be overwhelming caring for your elderly parents. May God Bless you and your sister and your Dad too.
Great post. You father is lucky to have such great daughters.
I'm headed to DC this weekend with my father. Anyone got any extra valium? My father is not in that "accepting" phase yet.
He's very blessed to have such wonderful daughters who love and respect him. xoxoxo
L
My Dad also had that acceptance attitude going on. I lost him at the age of 21 but I recognized it then. So far...I don't have those genes. Hence, the hives are back.
God Bless your Dad.
Jody
Post a Comment