We just have to adjust

By Jeremy Gulley

My family and I would like to express our sincere appreciation for all of the love and support we received since the death of my father last week. I am sure we would have made it through, but it would not have been as easy without you. It was heartwarming and motivating to hear stories about how my dad impacted, challenged, and inspired people from all walks of life. Now that the services are over, however, the question remains – what do we do now?

The answer to this question is easy, though the practice is not. The answer, as fate would have it, comes from one of the last things my dad said.

On Christmas, when we thought he would be stuck in the hospital and miss his first Christmas at home in over 40 years, we were pleasantly surprised to find out he would be released. Though we were happy to have him home, the news came with a downside; his days at home would be few, he was fading fast.

On the way home from the hospital, my mom confessed to my dad that she was nervous about the future. “How am I going to make it without you?” she asked, and after being married for 43 years, her concern is understandable.

My dad is the one who took care of things. When he was around, everything was okay. He could handle anything, it seemed. He never got upset or overly concerned about issues that arose. Whether financial, personal, or medical, he handled everything with grace and strength. So now, since he would soon be gone, my mom wondered how she would go on without his strength and support.

His answer?

As they drove home, my mom visibly upset, he turned to her and said, “well, you’ll just have to adjust.”

And he is right. That statement summed him up completely. Whatever happened in his life, he adjusted.

Now that he is gone, we just have to adjust.

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Posted by admin on Jan 5 2011. Filed under Jeremy Gulley, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry