Blessings

I received my Christmas gift early this year -- in June. 

My father had to undergo open heart surgery.  My big, strong Dad who had none of the usual symptoms of heart disease suddenly had to face his own mortality.  My mother,  shaken with the unexpected diagnosis and the decisions that needed to be made immediately, also had to face the vulnerability of their lives together.

I suddenly went from being the nurse managing the problems of others to being the daughter with far too much knowledge of what could happen.  This was my Dad whom I loved dearly and I wasn’t prepared to lose him, nor was I prepared to have my mother weaken and fall ill too.

In a very short period of time, I experienced an intense measure of the exhaustion and fear that so very many caregivers face daily.  Over the next weeks, my roles vacillated from daughter to caregiver to cheerleader to nurse and back again.  I was blessed to be joined in this process by other immediate family members who shared the weight and responsibilities of the situation. 

We were told that without the surgery my Dad would most likely suffer a very serious --  perhaps fatal -- heart attack by Christmas.  We have been very blessed as my father has recovered and looks and feels better than he had in a very long time.  My mother is also doing very well.

I have learned many lessons this year.  One lesson I already knew but was powerfully reinforced in our time of need was that the love of my family is the only gift I could ever want.