I went to visit Dad today in the nursing home. Over the course of the hour long visit he asked me four times what day it was, what month it was, what time it was. Visiting Dad is like taking a trip through a time tunnel. I'm never sure when or where I'll arrive. It is a rare space, a space where time is elastic and a space where the relationship is wrapped in love. Love....is what comes out....pain and reality intervene...but in the end Love is what remains.
Dad believes he will die soon. Why does he hold this thought? A doctor told him. We know that no doctor would have told him this, but this is seen by some who've had more contact with this elastic time warp, as the mind wrestling with life and it's impending end. His heart remains pure and when you meet his heart with truth and love, relief flows between us. Is this situation dire? Yes. Is there recovery from this position in life? Not likely. Is there potential for growth and maturation? Yes there is...on the part of the resident and on the part of any visitor. I've heard that the way you live your life is the way you end it....I have no idea whether there is any truth to that or not....but Dad lives now in Love, even as he lived before in Love.
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