The resiliency of people.

I have a neighbor. A friend. Rick. He's gone to Denver. To be with his father. On his deathbed. In a hospice. From what I know, Rick and his father weren't ever particularly close. Yes, maybe even distant. The father was a military man. Rick doesn't strike me as the military sort. More the opposite. Maybe Rick is trying to connect with his father. In a spiritual way. The father is in and out of a coma. And in pain. He's being treated with morphine. His father can't eat. Can't swallow. And he's not being tube fed. It's just a matter of days.  Anyway, I'm wondering what's on Rick's mind. Missed opportunities? Maybe not. Because I suspect that Rick has learned to live one day at a time. Making the most of now. Today. Milking the day for all it's worth. Grasping and savoring moments. In that sense, it's never too late. To live fully. Rick could have stayed home. In Minnesota. Where he also has assumed an amazing responsibillty. His elderly father-in-law and mother-in-law are living with Rick. Because they need round-the-clock care-giving. They have dementia. Alzheimer's. Rick and wife Julie are the primary care-givers. For four years, and counting. Like I say. Amazing. The resiliency of people. --Jim Broede