Life is a fragile thing..........
I enjoy being a nurse. I am blessed to be doing something that I love for a vocation. I love developing relationships with my patients, as limited as that relationship may be. I met a man last week that was one of those people that I like. He was a 52 year old man. He had a heart attack and came to our floor so that we could monitor the activity of his heart. He had many visitors during the day. I ended up working ALL day from 7am till midnight! We had quite a few discussions. He was a farmer his whole life and enjoyed being one. It is harvest time right now and I told him that I had no clue what it was like to be farmer. Well, he explained to me what it was like when he was young and how it has changed over the years. He offered for me to bring my children by to the farm and have his son Chip, (whom I had met earlier that day), take us out in the truck they use to harvest. He explained the elaborate computers used in farming these days with alacrity. Well, I was outside his room charting, when I heard him talk to Chip on the phone and telling him how I would be calling him tomorrow to go witness and take part in the harvest. When I talked with my wife on the phone shortly after that, she was equally excited to take part in this wonderful educational event. The next morning, I gave chip a call shortly after 11 as the sun was shining bright, which means they could do some harvesting. "Hey Chip. This is Dan from the hospital? How you doing."
"Well, not too good Dan."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. I'm at the funeral home......Dad passed away this morning."
"Oh my goodness no!"
"Yeah. So we got a lot of stuff to do now, but I want you to call me in a few weeks okay? Cause dad told me you'd be callin and I'd like to take you guys out 'cause it was somethin dad wanted me to do."
"Okay Chip. I'm so sorry. I will pray for you and your family for strength to get through this."
"Thanks. I appreciate that. Don't forget to call me now."
"Alright Chip. Take care".
I hung the phone up and was in a sort of shock. I didn't know what to say! I told Catherine. We sat there in shock. As I write this, I still have a hard time grasping that this man's life is over! Today is Father's day. My heart goes out to Chip and his family on this first fathers day without his dad. I feel a sense of duty now to make sure I call Chip in a few weeks. Lord help me to follow through. I felt a sense from our Creator that this may be part of the reason we are here in MD. That we could in some way be, "God with skin on", for Chip and his family. I asked Catherine if she would be willing to see if there is some way we could be of service to them and she agreed. Perhaps we can help after the funeral? I don't know. Lord use me the way you want in their lives. I am shook up in the bones by this event! Life is so fragile. Help me Lord to live life to the fullest. To remember how fleeting it all is. What I do is left to be seen. I have lots of good intentions, but they mean nothing if not put into action. Lord help me to continue to be open and honest with my children that they can see me for who I truly am.
I saw the obituary on Friday morning. One of the things it said was,"He liked to be with people. If those around him were happy, then he was happy". As someone who met him only for a very long day at work, I would have to agree.