Last Friday morning was just a typical morning. RUSH RUSH and STILL the kids missed the bus (Yes…that IS typical! LOL) ….so I drove them to school. On the way, we drive past my parents place…..normally I would stop in and say ‘hi, how ya doin’ on my way home. This particular Friday morning, as I approach my parents place, I spot my dad standing in the garden, basking in the warm glow of the sun in a nice sunny patch among the trees….he was facing the other direction so he was unaware of me approaching…..it took me just a teeny split second to decide that I wouldn’t stop in today BUT rather catch up with them later…..
I had soooo many things I wanted to do….as usual, my head is full of all sorts of bag designs swirling about for my next bag pattern to make, there’s my website to work on, a blog post to make……not to mention the morning dishes which I had yet to do….oh yes….we mustn’t forget those! (Oh well…I would like to! LOL) Ahhhh….what the heck! I will catch up with them tomorrow I thought……so I kept on going….I drove past…..he didn’t see me so I didn’t even get to wave as I went by. Oh well….it didn’t matter…..or so were my thoughts at the time!
Later that afternoon, as my mum and I sit near my dad’s bed in the hospital, with fear racing through our veins, I could barely feel my toes as the doctors and nurses scurried about ….the monitor that dad was hooked up to, beeped so loudly at times that it made you shiver. My mind jumped back to the morning…..HOW could I just drive past and not stop in and say g’day to my precious dad? How many times do we put off the most important things for something far more trivial, thinking we can do them tomorrow?
Dad had his 85th birthday just a couple of weeks ago…..wow…I can’t believe he is really 85 now! Mum is 80…. It seems like just yesterday I was a child sitting on their laps, listening to them read bedtime stories or telling me tales of when they were a ‘kid’…..
Anyway…..THIS time we are sooooo lucky! My dad is a tough old boot and after almost a week of constant monitoring and hospital care, he is back home now. He had had a heart attack and now has a bunch of new medication to add to the bunch he already had. BUT….I have my dad back! YAY! That is really all that matters!
It makes you think though about just how easily that vision of my dad standing in the garden, may have been my last one of him….. How in just a blink of an eye you can make a decision that can have a profound effect on you even though it seems so insignificant at the time.
NEXT time I have a choice between visiting my mum and dad or doing the dishes, website or even making a bag…..I know EXACTLY which I shall choose!
How about you?
My dad collects clocks and he got this one on his birthday, to add to his collection!
Hi Chris,
I’m so glad your Dad is better again. I was just wondering why it was so quiet around you.
Take care and enjoy your parents for as long as possible,
Lotta in Sweden
I’m so glad I came across this post. I once read a little book called “the tyranny of the urgent”, the message is the same. Thank you for your awesome patterns and wonderful blog.
Hugs from Kenya,
Njeri.