I am in so much pain….
I have a deep gnawing feeling in me. I am in pain… Well, I am not personally in pain but I am feeling the pain of my dad. The man is in a serious condition.
It’s so hard to reconcile. My dad is 6’2″ tall and he was the type of guy that never wore a sweater, never had a cold. Then he started to show signs of a type of arthritis which involved his spine effectively crumbling on him. Each time a disc breaks (yes, breaks), he endures excruciating pain. Pain that is beyond imaginable. We were visiting him in South Africa for Pesach. With morphine and a concoction of pain killers, he whimpered all day in pain. After the last surgery he was pain free after two years of suffering. We were so relieved, so optimistic, until Tuesday when the cycle started again with another break. What’s worse is that other discs are herniated so the doctors can fix one and the next breaks…
My kids were so looking forward to my parents joining us for last 10 days in Israel. My father is heartbroken.
For those of us that live far from family (mine are an 18-hour flight and $1400 ticket!), it’s hard when someone is sick.
I am engaging my kids in projects and having them make stuff for Sabba. I am writing him a letter of memories – all the good times. It’s funny how priorities shift. I have traveled to 67 counties and I try not see the same one twice–Israel is my exception. Right now, I would dump my whole travel budget into trips to South Africa to spend more time with my dad.
Hopefully, you can’t relate to my pain. But maybe there’s something in your life you would put aside for a chance to spend more time on something else that’s more important to you. Think about it now while you have the chance…and share your thoughts with us at Metroimma.
Originally published: August 1, 2010