MY MOM AND DAD:
A precious moment
I stood off to the side in the cool hospital room - the old man's surgery had been somewhat successful - at least he was not left in total blindness. After all, half sight was better than none at all.
The physician at the bedside is talking about choices. Is there care available at home or will a nursing home be needed? The doctor leaves them to themselves to ponder the options. The old man bellers, "Ma!" and then again, "Ma!" ...And the gray-haired woman approaches the patient who has been moved to a chair in spite of intravenous tubes and monitors. This frail little woman sits on the edge of the bed next to the old man and he says in low, confidential tones, "Ma, what do you think? Will we be okay at home?" For a moment, the two heads of gray hair touch together - for that instant they are fused as one - and the woman replies in a soft, assured tone, "Oh, I think we'll be okay." It is what the man wanted to hear - for they would go home together one more time.
Standing there in the room, I was an intruder in a conversation between two people who had labored together for nearly half a century - it was a privacy that was none of my business and yet I saw it... not just saw it, but captured it... and put it away in my heart... knowing that at a time forthcoming, I would need it to console my tears...
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Yes, dad and mom died this year - dad in August and mom in November. They are gone, and yet I know that I could not possibly ask for more - for I know full well, that if I asked ... for one more conversation ... one more dance... one more walk through the yard... and one more apple pie... that one more of everything would still not be enough.
This year I have learned that being there when someone needs me is the most valuable gift I can give to myself. I thought I was the giver, but I was the receiver.
I know for sure: that I thought I appreciated my mom and dad while they were here... I could have done better. |
