Today is my dad’s birthday. It feels like the final milestone. He did not die until the 22nd, so I haven’t experienced the official one-year milestone yet, but his birthday was the last time I talked to him on the phone (other than texting and then FaceTime while he was on a ventilator). I didn’t call again because I was trying to let him rest and focus on breathing. It took so much effort for him to talk for just a minute or two. We still had some hope on his birthday, because the hospital staff said he was doing a little bit better.
The past year has gone more quickly than I thought it would. At the one-month mark I couldn’t fathom how it would feel not to have talked to my dad for a whole year, and yet here I am. Here are some things I have learned/been reminded of this past year:
- Our time on earth is short. Sometimes it might feel like it will be a long time until we get to see our loved ones in heaven, but time on earth is such a small blip compared to eternity. My dad’s death has also reinforced how much I want ALL PEOPLE to choose relationships with God so that I can see them in heaven someday. I so appreciate that my dad had a relationship with Christ and that I will see him again.
- Since our time on earth is so short (it’s short even if we live to be 100+ years old), we need to be conscious of distractions. We need to focus on God and what He wants us to do while we’re here.
- Spend time getting to know God better every day, even if it’s only for five or ten minutes.
- Chip away at goals consistently so you don’t get to the end of a year feeling like once again you didn’t accomplish anything because, as stated earlier, our time on earth is SO SHORT.
I’m not sure if I will post again before Christmas, so if I don’t, Merry Christmas! I know this time of year is difficult for many people. You are in my prayers.
The Healthy Bacon 