NOW WHAT?

It has been a turbulent week.
My schedule suddenly became very full.
My teaching is accented by volunteer work at the food bank.

Then I was asked to substitute for someone who is unable to lead our meeting tonight.
It so happens that I am also in charge of the AUCTION fund raiser after the meeting.
I also volunteered to work at the voting polls yesterday.
So far, it is all do-able if I remain focused.

Dad is still over 6 ft. tall

Then my dad experienced a 'bump in the road' so to speak.
He arrived in his winter digs on Sunday.
He was admitted to the hospital Monday.
Family BUZZ via email and phone was constant Monday and Tuesday.

Dad was surrounded by those who could help.
But, as he is determined to remain independent at almost 98, he was a little wobbly.
Even the one who was with him knew he could not pick dad up if he fell.
Dad's legs were not working right.
It took more than one to get dad to the hospital.

Phone calls.
Emails.
What to do.
I am far away but I know the 'ropes' as I use to live down there.
I call a friend who gives excellent advice.
In the mean time, doctors take lots of tests.

Loved ones are waiting and wondering what our next steps will entail.
Dad's family is ready to help but most are some distance away.
The load falls on a few.
I am too far away to carry much of the load.
So, NOW WHAT?

I wait for information.
I wait for further instructions.
We all wait for doctors to tell us the next steps.

Dad was suppose to enjoy six months in the sun, in his beloved little condo.
He was only there one day before he landed in the hospital.
Now he wants to return to the comforts of his wonderful assisted living facility up North.

Dad sits on the bench he donated to the little park
near his condo.  He can no longer walk to it.

It is a reasonable request.
It is a do-able request as soon as the doctors give him the go-ahead.
There are plenty of 'helpers' willing to escort dad back to the place in a cold climate filled with loving  caretakers and family members close by.

In the mean time, I am asking myself NOW WHAT?
What is going to happen in our lives?
How are we going to endure the next several years where too many people want and not enough are willing to give?
Too many are saying, "What's in it for me?  Give me what you others have worked so hard to earn."


Yet, I am sure dad is saying, "NOW WHAT?"
"What is my life going to  be like?"
For my dad, life as he has known it has come to an end . . . at least it looks like that for now.

He needs help.
That's an understatement.
Hopefully the doctors will rectify dad's inability to walk.
But, independence is no longer an option for him.
His long life is changing.
He is healthy but he is now more limited than ever before.

As I feel overwhelmed by too much on my plate . . .
As I feel overwhelmed by 'circumstances' for our country . . .
As I wallow in a bit of a self pity . . .
I begin to pray.

"Show me, Lord, what you want me to see.

Show me the "NOW WHAT" you have set before me.
Remind me, God, that . . .
My life is FULL!
My life is ACTIVE!
My life will continue to have WONDERFUL SURPRISES each day.
My life is GOOD!
My hubby and I are HEALTHY!
We are SAFE!
We are being used and WILL BE USED even more as times get really tough."

NOW WHAT?
For dad . . .
His life just changed on a dime.
One day he was fine.

Dad's view from his little porch.

He rode in an airplane from North to South . . .  from cold to warm.
He walked just fine . . .
    and then he could not move his legs.
He wants to return to what he is use to even if it is cold.
He wants to embrace the familiar.
He wants the comfortable feeling that comes from being surrounded by loving caregivers or others who are his age or a bit younger.
I imagine he cares nothing about an election or who is running the country.
He is totally focused on surviving and perhaps thriving, even if it is in a different mode.

 I should be saying, "WHAT NOW can I do for him?"
How can I help?
How can I serve and comfort him from afar?

Life will go on for me until the moment it stops.
It does not matter what is going on in the country.
It does not matter if I do not get my own way.
It does not matter what I think.

Life is precious.
Dad's life is precious.
What Now?
I must make every moment count for him.
He may live several more years . . .  or not.
But, he is now living in MOMENTS.
I need to look beyond my own selfish desires and ask my dad,
NOW WHAT can I do for you?
NOW WHAT can I say to encourage you?

He is taking each moment as it comes.
Age has taught him to be flexible.
He has much to teach me.
So, I ask God, NOW WHAT am I called to do . . .  for my dad . . .  for my family . . . for others?