The Daily Grace
The Daily Grace

the good, good, good fight

Jul 23, 2017 | god & grace | 12 comments

My sweet Daddy is 86 years old, and these days his mind is often jumbled due to some functional changing of the brain. With the help of caregivers in the assisted living facility where he lives, he still dresses every day, joins friends for lunch in the upstairs dining room, and sits in his big easy chair by the window waiting for visitors or family–most often Will and Kathy, my super-hero brother and sister-in-law–to stop by or to take him on an outing.

He is not going willingly into this darkness. Dad’s frustration shows. Yet his indomitable spirit pushes on in spite of the great challenges he faces, each day bringing something new. It is a remarkable thing to see the ways he adapts, the adjustments he somehow knows how to make so each tiny moment is the absolute best it can be. Spend 10 minutes with Dad and you’ll see despite the gradual fading of his memory, he is a man who simply refuses to let the thing get the best of him.

***

Just this week he got the chance to meet his great-grandson for the very first time.

 

One look at the interaction between these two and you know Dad and Irby are both right there, great-granddaddy and great-grandson fully experiencing a precious, once-in-a-lifetime, holy exchange.

How thankful we all are for this time. How joyous!

And how fervently I pray the goodness of this golden moment will rest with Dad a while. May it nourish his soul. May it remind him day after day the fight is worth it, every frustrating, exhausting, damnable bit.

 

XXOO

A big thanks to Catherine Stewart, Irby’s mom and my precious niece, for the use of her how-did-she-capture-that-moment photo.

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12 Comments

  1. David LaFuria

    Cath give that big ol’ bear a hug for Suz and me the next time you set eyes on him. xo D

    • Cathy

      I will do that, my friend!

  2. Cheryl

    So much love to you & your daddy, Cathy! Your prayer is my prayer. God bless you both!

    • Cathy

      Thank you, Cheryl. My heart is filled with your sweet wishes.

  3. Colleen

    I know this journey and road all too well. I believe that the fog rolls in and the fog rolls out. When it is lifted there are such moments of clarity and beauty and strength for our loved ones and for us. It’s a reminder of life and of a day filled with grace.

    • Cathy

      How well you know this, my friend. Love and light to you 🙂

  4. Vickie

    What a special moment of pure joy! Love to your sweet daddy.

    • Cathy

      Isn’t it, though? That look on his face. Thanks for commenting, my friend.

  5. carey madigan

    Well you made me well up wf tears seeing the wonderful smile on Uncle Kent’s face! I see Grandmother Rigg in that smile, I see years of Uncle Kent laughing & joyous @ simple chores & deeds, I see his love for my Mom – his sister Nancy in those searching eyes, I see love of life, love of family, love for just one more day of living in the company of unknown potential. That along with the frustration that our time worn bodies can throw @ us is a balance, a dance that each of us will do…I hope that the beauty I see in that photo will remind me that there is always something that can touch us down deep no matter where our mind may wander. xoxxox Carey

    • Cathy

      Oh, Carey. Tears from me now. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.

  6. Jennifer

    Bless your sweet Daddy. A beautiful reminder of how we should live each day regardless of age or health or circumstance.

    • Cathy

      Yes. Time is precious, and he does remind me. Thank you for your sweet words.

Cathy Rigg Headshot

Hi. I’m Cathy.

This is a blog about writing, creative living, and grace in the everyday. It’s my hope this little spot on the internet will be for you a place of quiet and reflection, a source for inspiration, and a reminder there’s beauty all around—we simply need to keep our hearts open to see it. Thank you for being here with me.

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