You're going to die. Stop wasting time!
I think one of the most important things you can do when you're watching someone pass into the next life is learn from them as they cross over. There was something that both of my parents stopped doing once they realized that their clock was running out. They both stopped watching TV. I thought it was very interesting, so I asked them in that moment, why?
My dad's answer was that he wanted to spend as many of his final moments hearing stories from everyone he loved. Any minute that he had enough energy to stay awake he wanted to listen to people and take in as many heartfelt conversations as he could before God took him home.
My mom was even more vocal about it. She didn't want the TV on in her room or to hear it at all. My mom loved reality TV. She used to watch Survivor with my dad, and watch Big Brother while sitting on the phone with me. The last TV show she watched was with me in the hospital. We watched an episode of Blue Bloods. The next day we got bad news and found out that the radiation had ripped an un-repairable hole in my mom's colon wall. From that moment on she had no desire to waste her minutes zoning out in front of the TV. She came to the realization that others had many years, and her doctor couldn't even promise her many days. She did want to hear music, quietly all the time. Music was definitely my mom's heart song. We had a harpist come in and she absolutely loved that. My husband brought in a sound machine for her during the night so that she could hear wind chimes and lullaby songs. My mom was as sweet as an angel and it seemed fitting that she wanted her final minutes to be surrounded by music.
Do I watch TV, yes. Do I binge watch TV with my husband, absolutely. So what lesson did I learn from my parents? I learned that we all need to find the one thing in our life that gives us purpose, and not wait until the end to enjoy it. My father was an amazing story teller, and during his final days, all he wanted to do was listen to other peoples stories. My mother was a teacher an lover of music, and in the end she grew strength and comfort from sounds of song to carry her home to Jesus.
Live your purpose today. Spend your time enjoying things that you love. And spend a little less time wasting your hours in front of the TV.
My dad's answer was that he wanted to spend as many of his final moments hearing stories from everyone he loved. Any minute that he had enough energy to stay awake he wanted to listen to people and take in as many heartfelt conversations as he could before God took him home.
My mom was even more vocal about it. She didn't want the TV on in her room or to hear it at all. My mom loved reality TV. She used to watch Survivor with my dad, and watch Big Brother while sitting on the phone with me. The last TV show she watched was with me in the hospital. We watched an episode of Blue Bloods. The next day we got bad news and found out that the radiation had ripped an un-repairable hole in my mom's colon wall. From that moment on she had no desire to waste her minutes zoning out in front of the TV. She came to the realization that others had many years, and her doctor couldn't even promise her many days. She did want to hear music, quietly all the time. Music was definitely my mom's heart song. We had a harpist come in and she absolutely loved that. My husband brought in a sound machine for her during the night so that she could hear wind chimes and lullaby songs. My mom was as sweet as an angel and it seemed fitting that she wanted her final minutes to be surrounded by music.
Do I watch TV, yes. Do I binge watch TV with my husband, absolutely. So what lesson did I learn from my parents? I learned that we all need to find the one thing in our life that gives us purpose, and not wait until the end to enjoy it. My father was an amazing story teller, and during his final days, all he wanted to do was listen to other peoples stories. My mother was a teacher an lover of music, and in the end she grew strength and comfort from sounds of song to carry her home to Jesus.
Live your purpose today. Spend your time enjoying things that you love. And spend a little less time wasting your hours in front of the TV.
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