Ya know what? Oprah is right. God does whisper to us. Whether or not we choose to listen to the whisper, well that is another story. Over the last year and a half I have received this message loud and clear: "live in the moment".
I tell you what, when Beccee got sick that wasn't so much a whisper that I heard but more of a shout. It was a pivotal point in my life. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer she didn't curl up in a ball and give up. Oh no. Not at all. Quite the opposite. She vowed that she would remain in her happy bubble and come out swingin' against lung cancer. And she did. She put up one hell of a fight. Through her example, she was (and still is) an inspiration to so many people. This whisper was heard loud and clear....to live each and every moment to the fullest.
Casey was laid off from a job he had been at for over a decade. We had some serious low points when that happened. Financially and emotionally. Through all of it I kept hearing the whisper telling me that we would get through it, that there were others who had conquered much larger obstacles. To take it one day at a time and we would prevail. We did.
One of my friends at work found out earlier this year that her mother has lung cancer. Her prognosis is that she very likely won't make it to the end of the year. Talking to my friend and hearing about what her mom is going through is a constant whisper to embrace the time we have with our family. There is no way of knowing how long we have together.
Another co-worker lost her father suddenly over Memorial Day weekend. He was on his way up north to go fishing. He pulled over at a gas station. He wasn't feeling well and stopped to rest for a few minutes. He had a massive heart attack and died in his car. It's hard enough to lose someone after a long illness, incomprehensible when it comes out of the blue like that. She wasn't able to tell him she loved him or tell him goodbye. A whisper reminding me that that we shouldn't leave any words unspoken.
The whisper I hear from my own home front is everything can change pretty much overnight. This is demonstrated to me on a daily basis as a result of my Dad's sickness. The short story is that my Dad has Parkinson's disease. He was diagnosed about 7 years ago and has been rapidly deteriorating since Christmas. He now has the onset of dementia. Having a conversation with him breaks my heart. There are moments of lucidity, but most moments are just a maze of disconnected words. He now has to have someone that comes in as a companion while his fiancee is at work. He needs someone to check on him, make sure he's eating, taking his medications, etc. Soon that may increase to 24/7 supervision being required. This message is not lost on me. My days of having a "normal" father/daughter relationship are over. I have to accept that this is our reality now. I appreciate the days when we are able to connect and he seems to understand me.
The whisper I have heard over and over again over the last year and a half is to live in the moment. Take one day, one thing at a time. That is not to say that we shouldn't look forward to the future or learn from our past....it means don't miss what is right in front of your face. It's all happening, and it's happening now.
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