It’s been said that life can change in a blink of an eye. I used to wonder what that meant but not anymore. Now I know it’s so very true.
We had gone to a visitation for my aunt who had died. It was sad but also good to see family and friends and remember happier times. My Dad being his gregarious self was laughing and telling others that if he felt any better than he did today he would just cancel all of his life insurance. The next day those very words would haunt us as we watched to see if Dad would live or die.
In the blink of an eye, only three miles from home my Dad was involved in an accident. A cable company car hit him causing his van to flip several times. I was notified that my Dad was at Grady a trauma hospital in Atlanta on life support .
Life would never be the same again. The next months were full of visits with my Dad who was eventually removed from the machine that helped him breathe I felt as though my Dad was lost somewhere in a world of flashing lights, beeping machines, and sirens. He was alive but had sustained broken ribs, and he had staples down the left side of his head. They said he had a traumatic brain injury and bleeding on the brain. He did not talk but would squeeze my hand if I asked him yes or no questions. This vibrant full of life person seemed lost somewhere. I wondered if he would ever walk again; if he would ever talk again or laugh telling jokes as he liked to do.
I found myself with conflicting emotions. I was angry at the driver who hit my Dad. Had he been rushing because he was late for an appointment? Had he been texting someone or looking at his phone? One moment and it happened.
The Grady doctors told me they didn’t think my dad would make it. I smiled when I was there. I talked to Dad about the weather, and what day it was. I told him he was in the hospital. I would sit by him for hours just holding his hand. Then I would cry all the way home and in the middle of the night. It is just heartbreaking watching helplessly as someone you love is in pain and broken. Nothing can be said that will reverse what has happened. It is so true that we should be grateful for every day we live. Life can change in an instant.
My Dad is now living in a center that has memory care. He has good days and days when he cannot remember what day or year it is. He loves watching old westerns on tv and remembers old movie stars. There are times I see the real him a moment when he laughs, or when he remembers a shared experience. He is so changed; he is no longer able to walk, and a recent bout with Covid has really affected his progress.
I try and do things that give my Dad joy like bringing him donuts or a strawberry milkshake. I treasure the time I spend with him. Life is precious every moment of every day so remember to be grateful for today because we never know what tomorrow holds.
Love really IS blind! 