Loving Lifes

“A touching story worth reading.”
~ Author Unknown

Dear Patrick,

I was then an only child who had everything I could ever want. But even a pretty, spoiled and rich kid could get lonely once in a while so when Mom told me that she was pregnant, I was ecstatic. I imagined how wonderful you would be and how we’d always be together and how much you would look like me. So, when you were born, I looked at your tiny hands and feet and marveled at how beautiful you were.

We took you home and I showed you proudly to my friends. They would touch you and sometimes pinch you, but you never reacted. When you were five months old, some things began to bother Mom. You seemed so unmoving and numb, and your cry sounded odd — almost like a kitten’s. So we brought you to many doctors.

The thirteenth doctor who looked at you quietly said you have the “cry du chat” (pronounced Kree-do-sha) syndrome, “cry of the cat” in French.

When I asked what that meant, he looked at me with pity and softly said, “Your brother will never walk nor talk.” The doctor told us that it is a condition that afflicts one in 50,000 babies, rendering victims severely retarded. Mom was shocked and I was furious. I thought it was unfair.

When we went home, Mom took you in her arms and cried. I looked at you and realized that word will get around that you’re not normal. So to hold on to my popularity, I did the unthinkable … I disowned you. Mom and Dad didn’t know but I steeled myself not to love you as you grew. Mom and Dad showered you love and attention and that made me bitter. And as the years passed, that bitterness turned to anger, and then hate.

Mom never gave up on you. She knew she had to do it for your sake.

Everytime she put your toys down, you’d roll instead of crawl. I watched her heart break every time she took away your toys and strapped your tummy with foam so you couldn’t roll. You struggle and you’re cry in that pitiful way, the cry of the kitten. But she still didn’t give up.

And then one day, you defied what all your doctors said — you crawled.

When mom saw this, she knew you would eventually walk. So when you were still crawling at age four, she’d put you on the grass with only your diapers on knowing that you hate the feel of the grass on your skin.

Then she’d leave you there. I would sometimes watch from the windows and smile at your discomfort. You would crawl to the sidewalk and Mom would put you back. Again and again, Mom repeated this on the lawn. Until one day, Mom saw you pull yourself up and toddle off the grass as fast as your little legs could carry you.

Laughing and crying, she shouted for Dad and I to come. Dad hugged you crying openly.

I watched from my bedroom window this heartbreaking scene.

Over the years, Mom taught you to speak, read and write. From then on, I would sometime see you walk outside, smell the flowers, marvel at the birds, or just smile at no one. I began to see the beauty of the world through your eyes. It was then that I realized that you were my brother and no matter how much I tried to hate you, I couldn’t, because I had grown to love you.

During the next few days, we again became acquainted with each other. I would buy you toys and give you all the love that a sister could ever give to her brother. And you would reward me by smiling and hugging me.

But I guess, you were never really meant for us. On your tenth birthday, you felt severe headaches. The doctor’s diagnosis –leukemia. Mom gasped and Dad held her, while I fought hard to keep my tears from falling. At that moment, I loved you all the more. I couldn’t even bear to leave your side. Then the doctors told us that your only hope is to have a bonemarrow transplant. You became the subject of a nationwide donor search. When at last we found the right match, you were too sick, and the doctor reluctantly ruled out the operations. Since then, you underwent chemotherapy and radiation.

Even at the end, you continued to pursue life. Just a month before you died, you made me draw up a list of things you wanted to do when you got out of the hospital. Two days after the list was completed, you asked the doctors to send you home. There, we ate ice cream and cake, run across the grass, flew kites, went fishing, took pictures of one another and let the balloons fly. I remember the last conversation that we had. You said that if you die, and if I need of help, I could send you a note to heaven by tying it on the string of any balloon and letting it fly. When you said this, I started crying. Then you hugged me. Then again, for the last time, you got sick.

That last night, you asked for water, a back rub, a cuddle. Finally, you went into seizure with tears streaming down your face. Later, at the hospital, you struggled to talk but the words wouldn’t come. I know what you wanted to say. “Hear you,” I whispered. And for the last time, I said, “I’ll always love and I will never forget you. Don’t be afraid. You’ll soon be with God in heaven.” Then, with my tears flowing freely, I watched the bravest boy I had ever known finally stop breathing. Dad, Mom and I cried until I felt as if there were no more tears left. Patrick was finally gone, leaving us behind. 

From then on, you were my source of inspiration. You showed me how to love life and live to the fullest. With your simplicity and honesty, you showed me a world full of love and caring. And you made me realize that the most important thing in this life is to continue loving without asking why or how and without setting any limit.

Thank you, my little brother, for all these.

http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/3454.htm

Father’s Day

‎​I Love You,Dad… (Really Nice)’

At age 8, your dad buys you an ice cream. You thanked him by drippingit all over your lap.When you were 9 years old, he paid for piano lessons. You thanked himby never even bothering to practice.
When you were 10 years old he drove you all day, from soccer tofootball to one birthday party after another. You thanked him by jumping out of the car and never looking back.
When you were 11 years old, he took you and your friends to the movies. You thanked him by asking to sit in a different row.
When you were 12 years old, he warned you not to watchcertain TV shows. You thanked him by waiting until he left the house.
When you were 13, he suggested a haircut that was becoming..You thanked him by telling him he had no taste.
When you were 14, he paid for a month away at summer camp.You thanked him by forgetting to write a single letter.
When you were 15, he came home from work, looking for a hug.You thanked him by having your bedroom door locked.
When you were 16, he taught you how to drive his car. You thanked him by taking it every chance you could.
When you were 17, he was expecting an important call. You thanked him by being on the phone all night.
When you were 18, he cried at your high school graduation. You thanked him by staying out partying until dawn.
When you were 19, he paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus carried your bags. You thanked him by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of your friends.

When you were 25, he helped to pay for your wedding, and he told youhow deep he loved you. You thanked him by moving halfway across the country.
When you were 50, he fell ill and needed you to take care of him . You thanked him by reading about the burden parents become to their children.

And then, one day, he quietly died. And everything you never did came crashing down like thunder on YOUR HEART.

Cinta Sejati

‎​Pagi itu klinik sangat sibuk. Sekitar jam 9:30 seorang pria berusia 70-an datang untuk membuka jahitan pada luka di ibu-jarinya. Aku menyiapkan berkasnya dan memintanya menunggu, sebab semua dokter masih sibuk, mungkin dia baru dapat ditangani setidaknya 1 jam lagi.

Sewaktu menunggu, pria tua itu nampak gelisah, sebentar-sebentar melirik ke jam tangannya. Aku merasa kasihan. Jadi ketika sedang luang aku sempatkan untuk memeriksa lukanya, dan nampaknya cukup baik dan kering, tinggal membuka jahitan dan memasang perban baru. Pekerjaan yang tidak terlalu sulit, sehingga atas persetujuan dokter, aku putuskan untuk melakukannya sendiri..

Sambil menangani lukanya, aku bertanya apakah dia punya janji lain hingga tampak terburu-buru. Lelaki tua itu menjawab tidak, dia hendak ke rumah jompo untu makan siang bersama istrinya, seperti yang dilakukannya sehari-hari. Dia menceritakan bahwa istrinya sudah dirawat di sana sejak beberapa waktu dan istrinya mengidap penyakit Alzheimer.

Lalu kutanya apakah istrinya akan marah kalau dia datang terlambat. Dia menjawab bahwa istrinya sudah tidak lagi dapat mengenalinya sejak 5 tahun terakhir. Aku sangat terkejut dan berkata, “Dan Bapak masih pergi ke sana setiap hari walaupun istri Bapak tidak kenal lagi?” Dia tersenyum ketika tangannya menepuk tanganku sambil berkata, “Dia memang tidak mengenali saya, tapi saya masih mengenali dia, kan?”

Aku terus menahan air mata sampai kakek itu pergi, tanganku masih tetap merinding. Cinta kasih seperti itulah yang aku mau dalam hidupku?

Cinta sesungguhnya tidak bersifat fisik atau romantis. Cinta sejati adalah menerima apa adanya yang terjadi saat ini, yang sudah terjadi, yang akan terjadi, dan yang tidak akan pernah terjadi.

Bagiku pengalaman ini menyampaikan satu pesan penting: Orang yang paling berbahagia tidaklah harus memiliki segala sesuatu yang terbaik, mereka hanya berbuat yang terbaik dengan apa yang mereka miliki.
Have a Great Life!

-unknown source-