When the people you love have a heart attack or are taken seriously ill and you are three thousand miles away, you feel so helpless. This is what happened to us a few years ago. My mother was rushed to hospital with a serious condition. My father went with her to the hospital. He could not care for himself, so the hospital made arrangements for him to go into a care facility close to the hospital.
All we could do was write to them, which we did. We wrote individual letters because they were in different places. We assured them of our love, our concern and our prayers. We anticipated a reasonable quick recovery for my mother and dad was being cared for in the Home. Ten days later my father was dead–he had contracted a nasty virus in the Home, and died shortly thereafter in the same hospital. My mother never got to see him. She recovered but died a few months later.
How glad we were that we had sent them a letter immediately upon hearing what had happened. It gave us the opportunity to express our feelings and our love, and to encourage them in their circumstances.
I would encourage you to take the time now to express those sentiments to those you love. Don’t wait for a situation to arise which forces you to communicate. You may not be given the time. You may always regret never taking the opportunity while you had it. Nobody can be told too often that you love them and care for them. Make the most of your parents while you have them! Write, email or phone them today – you’ll be glad you did.
