There are so many people to thank and ... I read every post.
Jim, I ...
Like so many others can find some common ground in that story.
Korhil, and those who do speak out are labeled racist.
Cowboy... Thank you.
There are a few times in ones life that one can almost see God's intentions. Good things happen to us and bad. It seems that the bad things, if we can take the time to look, can be the best times we can actually see the hand of God. Let me explain.
A painful, and at times I thought a bad point in my life. I was injured severely on the job. Poor me, or so I thought. One year and several procedures into the process...
any way you get the point of that story.
This whole time, I have had every day to spend with my dad. I can say, that I took advantage of many of those days. We went everywhere together. I learned a lot about my dad in those days and very short years. We, like so many other sons and fathers, had a very rocky start. He being out of Bragg, you guys that have fathers like this know what it is like to have to grow up in this. Again, poor poor me. So I thought.
First I want to say I had no idea of what my dad did in the Military till I was 37, I am now 39. I still only know one detail, his job. I know nothing else and I have never asked. Okay back on point.
As boys who eventually grow into men we come to a realization, The Old Man isn't as dumb as we thought. In fact, the older we as young men get, the smarter our dads seem to get. Funny how that seems to work. Then one day, if we are really lucky and blessed...
Hang on, let me restate that last statement. If we slow down long enough to listen and watch God's hand, we can see.
"See"... "Listen"??
boy, I will tell you what, those simple actions have such a profound meaning. Two seemingly small tasks, yet for many of us so hard to do.
Never in my wildest dreams, or had personally witnessed up to this point in my life, could I have told you that such a tragedy in ones own life could be turned into such a huge blessing.
After a year of surgery and rehab, for me, dads health started to fail. We had already had a great time getting to get to know each other, no doubt. But little did either of us know what the next days and months would bring. It seemed like dad and I were gone to the doctors daily. I can remember that day when I found out he had cancer. The doctor comes out and finds me, dad still in recovery after the colonoscopy, and tells me that my dad has cancer. At this point dad knows nothing. Dad and I get to meet in the recovery room, all the while I am expecting the doc to come in and tell him. No! Guess who got to tell him?
The next few days, dad and I are trying to siff through what to do. Dad had his wishes. No problem! Off to surgery.
A month later he has made up his mind that he finally likes the cancer doctor that they have sent him to, after about five other docs. Here we go, Chemo, finally. Lets advance to today, after several trips to countless doctors, ER's, the list goes on and on.
Anyway here we are, a few years later. After three shoulder surgeries and a back surgery and a father with colon cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, surgeries, and chemo a father and son finally find each other.
You know what I learned or got a bit of insight into why dad is the way he is, today.
This is all I will say about this, for those of you who know, you will understand what I am talking about.
He has something inside him that refuses to lay down, refuse to wine, refuses to stop fighting, that demands to die with dignity, refuses to say poor me...
I say again...
I only hope I have the courage and honor that my dad has right now, when its my time to go.
Brian
