The other day I finished a chalkboard with a paragraph about praying for three men. My Uncle and two of my friend’s fathers.
Today one of the dads will be having open heart surgery at Hines hospital. My uncle is lying in a hospital bed and my other friend lost his father yesterday.
When our dads were picking us up from practice or school, we never fathomed that they wouldn’t be around.
When they dropped us off at college or when they were straightening our tie on our wedding day… they were there and they would always be there.
At least that was what we thought.
Then I hear the old Harry Chapin song,
"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when"
I think I read that we spend 90% of our life with our parents by the time we are sixteen. Then we are hanging with our friends, going to university and off to a career.
…. And before you know it we are the ones taking the keys away from mom and dad.
My friend who will be in a waiting room today as his dad is in the operating room is a Chalkhead. My friend who is burying his father Saturday is a Chalkhead. My cousin who took her dad to a nursing home earlier this month is a Chalkhead.
Pray for them…. They are at a point in their lives where they realize how quickly a parents life can be.
“When you coming home, son? I don't know when,
But we'll get together then, dad
We're gonna have a good time then….”
Always hold on to that memory of your dad when he was twenty feet tall and could kill a grizzly bear.
Before you know it…. You’ll be the one who is twenty feet tall handing your dad his cane or getting his walker out of the trunk.
Even though the path of life has some sharp turns and a couple potholes…. It doesn’t mean that it continues forever. Even Western Avenue comes to an end… it might be the longest road in Chicago, but you’ll eventually get to Howard or 119th…..
God Bless Mr. B. as he begins eternal peace. God Bless Mr. P. as he gets his chest cracked open and his heart reconnected. God Bless Uncle C. as he gets his catheter arranged.
Life may be a wonderful thing, but the toughest men in our lives will someday have a fragile day.
Keep putting the smile on their sun until that day arrives……
