My father is 81 and has alzheimers so he is not always very clear these days. He does still have his moments of clarity and some great wisdom though. The other night while visiting him, he said a few things that really made me think so I wanted to share them here.
First he asked “what do you want out of life?” I thought he was asking me that question but as I was preparing to answer him, I realized he was asking himself that question. His answer was “I don’t know”. As many do with alzheimers, he kept repeating the same question and answer over and over again. In between though, he would look up at me and tell me how much he loves me. I think that was his answer. What he wants out of life is love and family.
Something else he said also make me think “We used to have nothing, now we have too much”. Since he often lives in the very distant past he remembers clearly how little he and his family had growing up in the 1930’s and 40’s. Though I am not sure what he meant by that statement, it made me think about how much we do have now and how distracting and sometimes overwhelming that can feel.
What would it be like if we all asked ourselves
What do I want out of life?
What would it be like if we stopped to think about just how much we do have, where there is perhaps excess that we don’t really need at all and how that excess may distract us from what we truly do want out of life.
Beautiful Stef- this brought a tear to my eye and definitely made me think about what is important. Thanks for posting!
Thanks so much Meri!!
Stephanie, today is my dad’s birthday, he turned 76. He is not the man he used to be, not quite alzheimers, but his memory is declining. I drove to Valley Stream last night to be with him today because to me, my family is the most important thing. We had a nice lunch, just my mother, my father, my brother and me. Just like it was when we were kids. It’s so important to remember where we came from, before “things” and embrace the ones we love before they are gone from this earth. Thanks so much for sharing your story. I agree, we have too much. All we need is love and family.
Hope all is well with you.
Love, Denise
Stefanie, thanks so much for sharing this. I also got teary-eyed. What a great reminder to consider what’s truly important in life.
Thanks for sharing your experience Denise. Happy Birthday to your dad! It’s so nice that you were all able to be together as a family for his birthday celebration, I’m sure he cherished that. It’s hard seeing our parents grow old and change so much. I’ve grown so much myself through this whole experience with my dad. It’s not easy, but I’ve learned that I am stronger than I sometimes think I am…
Thanks so much Jill!
Stefanie
You and I have often found comfort in each others parent stories. Thanks for this one. As a Professional Organizer, I know just what your dad meant–“now we have too much” I help people come out from under their “too much” every week! The more you own the more energy you have to use to deal with it. Less really is more— more time for family, friends and ourselves, more of a sense of peace.
Well said Cyndy!