If you’ve followed this blog for some time, you know you can usually meet me here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday around 5am. It’s how I begin those days. This week, I’ve begun each day in a very different way: driving to visit my father in the hospital.
On Sunday, my cell phone was uncharacteristically overloaded by texts and calls from 3 of my 5 siblings. My phone was on vibrate so I didn’t see them until an hour or so after my family initially began trying to reach me. The last text from one of my sisters read, “Dad is on life support.”
By the time Keith and I arrived at the hospital, there were more than 20 family members sitting around waiting on news from the doctors. My mom, who has loved and adored this man -her husband and my father- for nearly 40 years, sat with her head down; drained. It had been a long day.
I cannot imagine what it must feel like to not only have to think about the possibility of losing your spouse, but to know that time may now be upon you. To sit, helpless, hoping and praying God will choose another day to take your loved one home.
I’m reminded in this moment of something every widow I’ve ever met -including those who are members of this club- have shared with me regarding marriage. ”Don’t sweat the small stuff.” In the end, the only thing that will matter is who we loved, how much we loved and how well we loved.
As my mom continues to spend her upcoming days believing my father, her husband, will hear the words she expresses while seated at the side of his hospital bed, I encourage you to take a moment to share with your husband all the words you might want to say if today were your last day together.
Today’s question was originally posed by Richard Carlson (author of the Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff series) in An Hour to Live, an Hour to Love. He presented this unintentional manuscript to his wife on their 18th wedding anniversary just three years before his unexpected and untimely death. Don’t allow the day to come to a close without first posing this question to yourself.
Question: If you had one hour to live and could make just one phone call, who would you call? What would you say?
Until tomorrow…make it a great day!
Comments: With nearly 52,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook Community page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation.
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