In the winter I get to spend time with my parents. I get to make up for lost time and learn who they are as people and not just as my parents, it’s a blessing I don’t deserve. My dad is a quadriplegic and requires a bit of help getting around. So I get to do some of these things for him. It’s something I used to be terrified of, but now I’m learning to enjoy the time.
As I roll Dad each night in preparation for bed, I wonder about the dreams he used to have. What are some of the dreams that had to be given up because of the paralysis? What about the dreams still lamented? As I pry his fingers straight so I can test his blood glucose each night I am reminded of how much he loves to work with his hands. Wood working, he especially loves woodworking.
Winding the grandfather clock in the living room tonight reminded me of my childhood when I would watch him through the vent in the floor as he worked at the table saw making a clock case, sitting still and quiet so he wouldn’t notice me. How many clocks would he have built in the last 35 years? Would we still be farming or would we have had to sell like so many others? Perhaps my love of farming came partly from him.
Deborah, DoMH!
As I roll Dad each night in preparation for bed, I wonder about the dreams he used to have. What are some of the dreams that had to be given up because of the paralysis? What about the dreams still lamented? As I pry his fingers straight so I can test his blood glucose each night I am reminded of how much he loves to work with his hands. Wood working, he especially loves woodworking.
Winding the grandfather clock in the living room tonight reminded me of my childhood when I would watch him through the vent in the floor as he worked at the table saw making a clock case, sitting still and quiet so he wouldn’t notice me. How many clocks would he have built in the last 35 years? Would we still be farming or would we have had to sell like so many others? Perhaps my love of farming came partly from him.
Deborah, DoMH!