Topics:<\/b> Communication; Death; Family; Friendship; Honesty; Love; Relationships<\/p>\n
Reference:<\/b> 2 Corinthians 1:3\u20137<\/p>\n
When my dad had died eight years earlier, Michael had stood by me. When the sympathy cards stopped coming and I began the terrifying freefall into grief, Michael had been my parachute. Now I stood vigil with him at his father\u2019s deathbed.<\/p>\n
I tried to look into Al\u2019s eyes, which had always been playful. Under his silver eyebrows were dark circles; his lids were slightly open, but the eyes were rolled back and showed only white. Clear plastic tubing snaked from the wall to a mask covering his nose and mouth. The nurses said he might make it through the night, but they weren\u2019t sure. His kidneys were shutting down.<\/p>\n
Out in the shiny hospital hallway, laundry carts stood silent. It was deep past midnight, and we were alone: a son, a wife, a dying dad, a friend.<\/p>\n
Hearing is the last sense to fade, so Michael and his wife, Stephanie, spoke to Al\u2014beautiful, tender words. \u201cI love you, Dad,\u201d Michael said. \u201cI\u2019m here with you, and you won\u2019t be abandoned. You won\u2019t be left alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for all you\u2019ve given us,\u201d Stephanie added, holding his hand, which occasionally twitched. Al had always been generous, helping with school expenses or other needs. \u201cWhenever you helped us and we said thank you, you just told us, \u2018That\u2019s what dads are for,\u2019 \u201d Michael said. He paused and repeated, \u201cThat\u2019s what dads are for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Death changes conversation. It strips away cheap social conventions and calls us either to be silent or to speak from the heart. In that room, the only words that seemed appropriate were the kind that were deep and clear and true.<\/p>\n
Death also changes the calculation. Whatever seemed so important during life\u2014job or money or house or success\u2014doesn\u2019t matter now. When you\u2019re in extremis<\/i>, the most important thing, apart from being ready to meet God, is to be surrounded by people who love you.<\/p>\n
\u2014Kevin Miller, LeadershipJournal.net (October 5, 2000)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Topics: Communication; Death; Family; Friendship; Honesty; Love; Relationships Reference: 2 Corinthians 1:3\u20137 When my dad had died eight years earlier, Michael had stood by me. When the sympathy cards stopped coming and I began the terrifying freefall into grief, Michael had been my parachute. Now I stood vigil with him at his father\u2019s deathbed. I … Continue reading “DEATHBED
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