It has been a busy few days, but rewarding. Yesterday, the Ribbon Cutting at our new Warwick Living Center brought back memories of my youth.
My father had a stroke when I was 12 years old. But even before that, he was a double amputee, no legs. In fact I do not remember my father with legs. So my lot in youth was to push him around in the wheelchair when he couldn't maneuver by himself, and to fold and stow the chair. Even as a teen, when I would see kids playing in wheelchairs, I was very defensive, as I view them as an extension of one ability to live, not a toy.
Well, at 12, when Dad had the stroke, I could no longer manage to help care for him. It became almost full time. Lifting him from the chair and back again, although giving me great strength, took its toll. It wasn't long before we had to make the decision to admit him to the home for the aged.
For the next 16 years I visited him daily in the Nursing home..... I gained an appreciation for the work that goes on within those walls. The people who work inside do a special service to the aged and infirm.
It has never been easy in a household without a father who could take you fishing or hunting, or any of a million outdoor activities. It was an unconventional childhood, yet I figured out how to do most things by watching others, and trial and error. He did teach me many lessons that other fail to learn on the journey. Honor, integrity, patience, service, hope and love.
Isn't it strange how a simple ribbon cutting ceremony can bring back a flood of memories that by now would be buried under a lifetime of experiences ......
And so I focus on the road, and head back north for a day..... I'll be back.
