Crazy & Strange

Crazy and Strange

I saw this and it reminded me of my dad!

It's crazy how certain times of the year will bring back memories so clear, like it was yesterday.  I love that feeling of my heart being flooded with awesome memories and times gone by.  This Easter took me back to when my dad was dying three years ago.  It was a time of strength and endurance, not for the faint at heart.  My mom and I were in the trenches of watching and helping my dad die with the dignity that he felt so strongly about.  Easter came and went and I remember not doing one thing for my kiddos, thankful that my mother in law stepped in and took care of things!  I remember the feel of spring and new which was odd since my dad was dying.  I remember thinking about how many times my dad would tell me, "Don't sweat the small stuff, kid!"  At the time I thought what?  But it was during those weeks with my dad that I began to understand just a little of what he meant.  I mean you soon learn that the small stuff, that can be so overwhelming at times, means very little in the big scheme of things!

Life is short.  Period.  It's too short to worry about the small stuff.  He always said that he wanted to live everyday like it was his last.  Life is too short.  Now as spring is here and the sight of new life shows, I look around and can't help but think about my dad.  I think about how much strength he had his whole life and then when he was dying and he knew it and he faced it head on.  He reminded me that life has seasons and that we don't always get to see all the seasons or understand why, that's God's business.  He showed me how to have strength and faith like no other at a time when I felt weak and helpless.  I want to have that kind of strength and wisdom and pass it on to my boys.  

This spring I think of my dad, but I think of him everyday.  I'm thankful for this awesome life I have and I want to teach my boys what my dad taught me.  That's the legacy I want to leave.  Spring brings new life in many ways but it will always remind me of the time I spent with my mom helping my dad die on his terms.  If you knew him, you know how important that was!  Spring breaks my heart and fills me full of strength all at the same time.  It's a strange feeling that I have a hard time describing.  The time from Spring Break til first part of May takes me back to a time when I learned just how strong I was, because if I could help my dad with his last wishes, then I could live through anything this life brings.  I want to live this life without fear and with contentment!  So as it goes I will KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON....