I lost my Dad almost a year ago. Heart problems plus alzheimers. The last time I spoke to him, he was in the hospital, giving the nurses hell, refusing to take any medications. I asked him to think about taking the meds.
He did not answer, he never spoke to me again. By this time, alzheimers and the trauma of just being in the hospital had rendered him mute. I could only hear him breathing in deep, even breaths.
When he died, I had this vision of my past in the form of an old family house. The old family house was burning furiously, relentlessly. The skies were black with smoke.
At the funeral, I was reminded how many people he had helped and influenced to make something good out of their lives.
I too felt like an ‘orphan’, which seemed ridiculous, me pushing 60 years of age. I cope with his death now by trying to do what he did, give your love away. Don’t always keep your sense of caring a hidden secret behind a mask of protection. Find moments where you allow yourself to be open and even a little vulnerable. As Christ said, love one another. Offer guidance to those who ask for it, or require it. Offer forgiveness to those who have wronged you, even those who don’t ever ask for it. Open your mind and your heart, show compassion.
One can forgive, without forgetting a lesson of great significance.
My Mom and Dad both passed away eleven months to the day from each other.