The Presence of Death

As I sit here at grandpas bedside it's amazing to observe how different people see death. Grandpa is 90 years old and at the end stage of esophageal cancer. Grandpa who stood up and sang Ave Maria at my wedding only 6 months ago... Grandpa who cruised around Las Vegas like a champ for his 90th birthday in October. His brain is fully intact while his body is weaker every day with only days to weeks to live. The support, love, and prayers at this time is beautiful and overwhelming. 

I sit here and I am content. The first few days were hard as I entered into a medical situation and had to balance my place on this trip. There is a fine line between nurse and granddaughter, and on this trip I really just need to be here as "favorite granddaughter" (aka only granddaughter :p). For grandpa, my knowledge of the disease process is helpful, but what is most important is presence. Trip after trip to California he would ask "when will we see you again?" ...I didn't always know. This trip came about at the drop of a hat when I head the words "hospice". Time better spent in the days before death then after. And to fly out to just be present was the best gift I could give him at this time. 

Who needs presence? Do you have people in your life, people you work with, those who are dear to you who need you to be present in their lives? How often do we take the time to be still and be with someone? Do we make enough time before it's too late or do we scramble to pull it together when there is limited time remaining? Everyone always comes together in the last moments, as they should, but what if we lived our lives to truly soak in and enjoy every moment with others so when the final moments came there were no regrets about calls made, time spent, and the relationship that was built?

Life is precious. Enjoy every day, live in every moment, count your blessings, and count every experience and encounter. Let joy overwhelm your life so that one day when God is ready to take you, you are ready to skip through the pearly gates and leave behind only the joy you put in the hearts of the people you left behind.