The Pastor cleared his throat. "Your father has gone to be with the Lord."
Fifteen years ago, my dad received a kidney and pancreas transplant. It was a successful surgery. He was a juvenile diabetic, and for the first time since he was nine-years-old, he didn 't have to inject himself with insulin. It was a successful surgery.
Two weeks later, on New Year 's day, my older sister and I were sitting in the family room waiting to go to our next door neighbor 's house. My dad had been throwing up all night, and my mom was getting ready to drive him back to the hospital where he received the surgery. Something was wrong.
I remember nagging my dad about opening a bottle of Martinelli 's Sparkling Cider to celebrate the new year. My parents didn …show more content…
My dad was instantly gone and I would no longer be able to talk to him or spend time with him.
Guilty, because all I cared about that day was drinking some Martinelli 's. My dad was dying--I didn 't know it at the time--and I was being a selfish twelve-year-old.
The Blessing of Death
Over the last fifteen years, my life has had its ups and downs. This might sound strange, but there are huge blessings that came from my father 's death.
My father was a man of great faith, and his death taught me to take risks, live in the moment, spend as much time as I can with the people I love, and most importantly, trust God in everything I do.
When "life" happens and I feel I can 't go on, I think about why I got started on this amazing purpose-driven path in the first place. I may not have my father here physically, but I still want him to be proud of me in everything I do.
My father died young but he lived a full life and left a great legacy. I want my life to mean something like his did.
Death taught me that our time here on earth is short. It 's our obligation to find and live our purpose in life, not just for our own fulfillment, but to inspire those around us who will be infected by the contagiousness of our
Fifteen years ago, my dad received a kidney and pancreas transplant. It was a successful surgery. He was a juvenile diabetic, and for the first time since he was nine-years-old, he didn 't have to inject himself with insulin. It was a successful surgery.
Two weeks later, on New Year 's day, my older sister and I were sitting in the family room waiting to go to our next door neighbor 's house. My dad had been throwing up all night, and my mom was getting ready to drive him back to the hospital where he received the surgery. Something was wrong.
I remember nagging my dad about opening a bottle of Martinelli 's Sparkling Cider to celebrate the new year. My parents didn …show more content…
My dad was instantly gone and I would no longer be able to talk to him or spend time with him.
Guilty, because all I cared about that day was drinking some Martinelli 's. My dad was dying--I didn 't know it at the time--and I was being a selfish twelve-year-old.
The Blessing of Death
Over the last fifteen years, my life has had its ups and downs. This might sound strange, but there are huge blessings that came from my father 's death.
My father was a man of great faith, and his death taught me to take risks, live in the moment, spend as much time as I can with the people I love, and most importantly, trust God in everything I do.
When "life" happens and I feel I can 't go on, I think about why I got started on this amazing purpose-driven path in the first place. I may not have my father here physically, but I still want him to be proud of me in everything I do.
My father died young but he lived a full life and left a great legacy. I want my life to mean something like his did.
Death taught me that our time here on earth is short. It 's our obligation to find and live our purpose in life, not just for our own fulfillment, but to inspire those around us who will be infected by the contagiousness of our