As I look in the mirror in the mornings, even more so now, I
see my dad and it feels good having morning conversations with him. Diagnosed with prostate cancer when he was
74, it took only a few years for him to need chemotherapy, which like me turned
his hair and eyebrows a soft white. My
favorite picture of my dad is in 1935 when he was 21 and sitting on the back of
his Packard convertible with a big grin and cool sunglasses. Dad had a playful side he kept all his life
that so many others lose as work, responsibilities, life challenges and
disappointments begin to drain who they are or who they will become. Several months before he died, he had us
strap him and his oxygen bottle into a golf cart so he could watch us play 18
holes.
Saturday, as I stood in my morning shower, I heard him call, “Billy”. I hadn’t heard his voice for almost 25 years,
but I had no doubt it was him. I stood
in the shower and cried joyful tears. Next
week I will start my chemotherapy and it felt so good to hear his voice, reminding
me how he grinned through his chemo journey and never gave up hope. What do you see when you look in the mirror
in the mornings? Maybe more important is
what conversations are you having with what you see?
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