I found out today my daughter in laws father is going in on Tuesday to have have in the least a partial kidney removal and possibly quite more in Columbia Missouri. He has already had 2 bouts with different cancers and this has been a sudden onset and they have a belief there is a rapid progression occurring thus necessitating an emergency surgery. His prognosis is not too good and he is just 4 years older than I am.
I, my son and daughter in law will be leaving in the morning for Joplin which is our home town to spend time with her family as well as my own.
My Dad is 86 years old and in an early stage of senile dementia AKA Alzheimer's. He was one of the brightest shining stars of the space race and earned the Wise Owl Award for tooling with Rocketdyne Corporation for his contributions in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs as well as being a big contributor to the shuttle program.
Mom is stage 2 with 2 types of cancer that are currently in remission. Besides being nothing more than my mother she gave another son in defense to her country and has been one of the most steadfast pillars of my life that I could anchor to when times have been bad.
This occurrence happened suddenly with my daughter in laws dad as I said after some other issues and it really has driven home to me to what degree we are but mere mortals and allowed but a limited time here.
We are close to another holiday that is most celebrated for its compassion, kindness and good will to others. Don't forget the ones closest to you. If you have family that is older and possibly this may be one of the last years you spend with them reach out and tell them what you feel. Even if they are in perfect health today, issues can arise quickly and change everything.
I haven't really neglected Mom and Dad and talk to them every few days, I always had in mind I will go back when needed but this kind of drove the issue home that we cant simply be long distance family members and still remain functional.
I guess I am doing a little soul searching, venting and whining while expressing the frustration and helplessness I feel to help those I love so dearly.
I will return in a few days folks take care and call the ones you love tonight.
Peace Out,
Mark
I, my son and daughter in law will be leaving in the morning for Joplin which is our home town to spend time with her family as well as my own.
My Dad is 86 years old and in an early stage of senile dementia AKA Alzheimer's. He was one of the brightest shining stars of the space race and earned the Wise Owl Award for tooling with Rocketdyne Corporation for his contributions in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs as well as being a big contributor to the shuttle program.
Mom is stage 2 with 2 types of cancer that are currently in remission. Besides being nothing more than my mother she gave another son in defense to her country and has been one of the most steadfast pillars of my life that I could anchor to when times have been bad.
This occurrence happened suddenly with my daughter in laws dad as I said after some other issues and it really has driven home to me to what degree we are but mere mortals and allowed but a limited time here.
We are close to another holiday that is most celebrated for its compassion, kindness and good will to others. Don't forget the ones closest to you. If you have family that is older and possibly this may be one of the last years you spend with them reach out and tell them what you feel. Even if they are in perfect health today, issues can arise quickly and change everything.
I haven't really neglected Mom and Dad and talk to them every few days, I always had in mind I will go back when needed but this kind of drove the issue home that we cant simply be long distance family members and still remain functional.
I guess I am doing a little soul searching, venting and whining while expressing the frustration and helplessness I feel to help those I love so dearly.
I will return in a few days folks take care and call the ones you love tonight.
Peace Out,
Mark
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