Your Mission in Life

Mom has moved to the rehab facility to get her on her feet again.
 

She is not happy at rehab.  They are making her get up and do therapy that she doesn’t like doing.  They are making her follow a routine that is not her own.  They want her to get out of her darkened room and socialize with other patients. 

The facility is providing nutritional meals.  Friendly CNAs are coming by to check on her.  Whenever she rings for help, they come.

Extended family members are constantly calling and coming by to keep her spirits up.

In response to all of this, she keeps saying she wants to simply go to sleep and not wake up.

As I said before, we know how this story will end, but we’re not near the end…

There’s something more that Mom has to accomplish.  Exactly what that “thing” is, I’m not sure… but I know every life has a purpose… and has a mission to fulfill. 

Once our mission is completed, then we will move on from this life to the next.  To give up on a life before it has fulfilled its mission will affect and alter others left in this life.

That’s because everything on this planet is connected in some way.  Every action — every “thing” — has significance to someone.  Even if we don’t see the connection or significance, it doesn’t mean that the connection doesn’t exist.

What’s does Mom have left to do?  I have no idea.  I don’t know if this time is given to her to accomplish something for herself or for another.   For instance, her presence and interactions with others during this time may help them fulfill their own personal missions. 

I don’t know… and I don’t need to know for any of this to happen as it should.

I just believe that every life, every action, every word affects another; therefore, your whole life — from beginning to end — has purpose.  

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Let’s Enjoy the Journey We’re On

I just woke up, and the first thing that struck me was a feeling of… happiness.

Usually, I wake up with my mind already racing with all the things I have to accomplish this day, this week, and this month.  I get to work and look at the calendar and lament about how quickly time flies and how much is still is left to do…

But today… Today’s different, somehow.

This morning, instead of racing through all the things I had to do, my mind filled itself with all that I’ve accomplished thus far.  My mind immediately jumped to our writing projects and how we’ve put our final touches to the book.  This weekend, we’re passing it along to the graphic designer for his layout and cover design. 

Katherine has read the last two scenes I’ve written and has dubbed the play complete.  Yea!!!  She’s planning to share it with her theatrical contacts and get some input as to how we proceed from here… Double Yea!!!

Another friend of mine — who has two very active boys — finally read her year-old posts on Facebook and is excited about giving me feedback on our children’s book, so I sent her a copy of the first of that series.

I did a quick inventory on our writing projects and we have about ten ongoing ventures in various stages — all of which have viable promotional potential and outlets.  

We’re in the process of filing for a fictitious trade name, moving toward creating a brand name and identifiable “home” for our various ventures.

So,  yeah... I know this is probably the last thing you expect coming from me (aka Ms. Impatience), but everything is falling into place and working out the way it should. 

Although, I’ve been wishing that all this would move along much faster than it has, these projects are taking the time needed to evolve into what they are meant to be.  I see that now.

Yeah… this morning was good for me.  It reminded me that I need to stop… appreciate what I have… and celebrate what I’ve accomplished, thus far.

I’m never going to stop for very long.  I’m always going to want to push to reach our goals, but every once in a while, it is important to take the time to appreciate where we are and how far we’ve come.  These little celebratory “pats on the backs” are important in this process, because they help motivate us to continue on our life-long journey.

I don’t think a lot of us do that anymore — stop… appreciate what we have… and celebrate what we’ve accomplished, thus far.  We’re so consumed with outlining our goals — and taking the appropriate steps to achieve them — that we forget to celebrate the milestones we reach along the way.

We’re so focused on getting to where we want to be that we forget to enjoy the journey along the way. 

So, this morning is a good reminder to enjoy the journey we’re on. 

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Time to Move On

I took off work early to go to the dentist.

What’s eventful about this dentist visit is that it would be my last visit with Dr. Bodo.  He’s an 80-year-old man with a gentle touch, kind soul, and patient temperament — and he’ll be retiring from the profession in a couple of months. 

I know it’s time for him to move on — but I don’t like it! 

He’s been in practice for 56 years — longer than I’ve been alive.  My mother first took me to him when I was too young to climb into his chair.  As the years have gone by, I’m the one, now, taking my mother, and she’s having difficulty climbing into his chair…

It takes us more than an hour to drive to his office, and in all these years, we’ve never considered finding another dentist closer to home.  Now, we’re forced to…

Yes, this is hard for us.  It’s hard for him, too.

He tells me that he is sad to have to close up his practice.  He’s not just closing a business; he’s saying goodbye to a part of himself.  Many of his patients have been with him for so long that they have become like family to him.   

  

But he has family of his own.  He has kids and grandkids all over the country; so I was imagining his retirement would give his wife and him the freedom to visit family and friends… but this isn’t the case.

Instead, he’s retiring to take care of his ailing wife and disabled son.

There’s no time for traveling.  There’s no time to enjoy the fruits of his labor.  There’s no time to relax.

As I grab for the door for this last time, I’m struck with the realization that I will never, again, hear his warning to drive safely home, and see his warm smile, waving me on my way…

Yes, it’s very hard for me to say goodbye to this 80-year-old man with the gentle touch, kind soul, and patient temperament… knowing that I’m not going to be coming back... to him.

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Enjoy the Simple Pleasures

On the night of September 30, my mother called to tell me her aunt — my great aunt — died at 7:38 that evening.

My great aunt was 96 years old.  She has been in an assisted living facility for twenty years, and for all of that time, she has been wishing herself “eternal rest”— making our years with her as miserable as she was. 

It was clear that she was not pleased with the way things have unfolded for her.  Her life held no mystery, pleasure, or joy.  Life only held pain and discomfort for her.  Memories of the past didn’t help, because even the past added to her discontentment…

No, she was not happy with her lot in life…

Toward the end, she was in and out of the hospital — internal bleeding coming from some unknown source.

After this last visit, she was discharged to rest comfortable in her own bed. 

I went by my 86-year-old mother’s the following morning, to see if she needed anything from me and to make sure she was emotionally OK. 

Mom seemed relieved that her aunt had finally gotten her wish.  She was taking everything is stride, making funeral arrangements and such.  She appreciated my help, but she had everything under control.

That evening, I took a leisurely walk around my neighborhood.  It was the first cool night of the Florida fall season.  The sun was just setting, and a light breeze was blowing through the trees. 

It was just too precious to waste, so I put on my sneakers and headed off into the sunset.

Someone was grilling steaks outside; kids were riding their bikes and scooters; couples were walking hand-in-hand down the street; a group was playing touch football; and families were walking their dogs.

I passed one house where a couple was still working on their flowerbed.  At another home, an elderly gentleman was enjoying his cigar on the porch.  There were no cell phones or iPods to be seen or heard.

No, everyone was just enjoying the sunset, the breeze, and the beginning of a new season…

The evening’s walk reminded me to enjoy every moment — no matter how ordinary the moment seems — because, sooner or later, the simple pleasures of life will be taken from us…

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