Laps?!?

Before my dad comes home he has to be able to walk laps around the eighth floor of the hospital. He has to be able to walk ten laps, I think, and yesterday he told me he walked twelve. He gets to come home Friday.

I was thinking last night, before I discovered that I couldn’t post even small thoughts from our home computer onto this page, that life is mostly about goodness. As cliche as it may be, life is about paying it forward. No amount of bitching about the pain or cruelty in the world makes it go away, so to live a happy life is to try to conquer this present evil with good. Before you think I sound like a crazy evangelical fiction writer who shall remain nameless, know that I think even the small things eradicate the bad. Letting someone have a day off after they get stuck in the snow, making an excellent latte for a perfect stranger, or finding the good in even my own bad writing are all things that can put a new shine on a bad penny. The good in most situations outweighs the bad. Even knowing the gravity of my father’s health is not as bad as having him drop over at work and never getting to tell him I love him.

My mom is almost at her wits end with caring for my grandma and worrying about my dad. She was worried yesterday that she wouldn’t be able to get out of the driveway, so some friends not only sent someone to clear it, but they also paid for it. My childhood friend and her family have taken care of the sheep, shoveled the porch and just been there for my mom when I couldn’t. I appreciate these acts of benevolence and it makes me realize just how fortunate we are–even in the midst of what seems like a very painful time. At times like this, I want to stop the madness that is my life and take a minute to re-evaluate and figure out what holds the most meaning. People. Love. Grace.