The Other Side of Living

Dear Daddy,

I got a call from my mother today asking me to come home to see my father as he is not well. He had a stroke last year but really he has not been doing well long before that and things worsened after my brother died almost 2 years ago.
It seems he’s lost his joie de vivre. My father and I, when I was a little girl, were two peas in a pod. Somewhere along the line that changed. Today, as I embrace laughter and joyfulness as a practice for living well, I feel sad that my father cannot see any of the many reasons to want to stay and live well despite the blows he’s experienced in his life. I have always learned from my father. This lesson is bittersweet. I choose to LIVE and though I cannot save anyone, no matter how much I wish things were different, I can love my father beyond measure and pray for ease for him, for my mom and for me.
To the man who brought me into this world, who encouraged my love of foreign languages, travel, dance and music...who has lost his sense of magnificence...with love, encouragement and a willingness to speak a language your heart might hear, this song is for you.