Going home to hug my family

gkainz

gkainz

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
8,401
Location
Arvada, CO
Display Name
Display name:
Greg Kainz
Man, sometimes life just keeps shoveling crap...

Last week a good friend lost his brother to infection contracted during knee replacement surgery. The brother was a decorated Vietnam vet and a longtime civilian advisor and trainer in a number of hot spots around the world. He survived all that and lost his life to an infection. The sad irony was the knee replacement surgery was in preparation for a real "kick back and relax, you've earned it" retirement.

Last December, my dad was hit hard with acute pancreatitis and is still struggling with a serious abdominal infection, and is still under medical care in our small home town. While improving considerably, he's still not out of the woods yet. Today I got news that the director of that health care facility, a daughter of high school friends of mine, was killed in a car accident last night in Wyoming.

I think I'll just go home and hug my family now...
 
gkainz said:
Man, sometimes life just keeps shoveling crap...
Click to expand...

Bad things happen, last week a friend died of a heart attack at 52, no known heart problems, leaving his wife and two children in college.

Sometimes good things happen, my Mom was diagnosed in spring '02 with stage 4 lung cancer, they cut out what they could, and she's been on chemo since...and will be likely for a good while longer (maybe life). She's far beaten the odds, and has lived to see five grandchildren born. Sometimes good things happen.

I think I'll just go home and hug my family now...
Click to expand...

Always a comfort.
 
Greg,
Good idea to give 'em a hug. You never know what the future is going to bring so celebrate and apreciate what you have now.

Bill Jennings said:
Sometimes good things happen, my Mom was diagnosed in spring '02 with stage 4 lung cancer, they cut out what they could, and she's been on chemo since...and will be likely for a good while longer (maybe life). She's far beaten the odds, and has lived to see five grandchildren born. Sometimes good things happen.
Click to expand...

Almost 2.5 years ago my mom had a Stage 1a lung cancer and had half her lung taken out. We thought she had beat it. Then on 23 December last year we found out she has a stage 3 tumor in her lung but near her heart (Merry F'in Xmas!).

She started chemo and the day before her birthday early this month we found that the tumor had responded well, shrinking from 1.8cm to 8mm. She has started another round and I am keeping my fingers crossed. YOu post made me feel that there are always possibilities.
 
smigaldi said:
She has started another round and I am keeping my fingers crossed. YOu post made me feel that there are always possibilities.
Click to expand...

There are ALWAYS possibilities. It is hard, but good things happen.
 
Tragic events should always serve as reminders as to how fragile our existence is, and to appreciate what we have here and now, especially our families.

Planning for and dreaming about the future are reasonable and natural things to do. We just should never expect that things will be like we planned.

It may be time for me to go back and re-read Fate is the Hunter.
 
Larry Liebscher said:
Planning for and dreaming about the future are reasonable and natural things to do. We just should never expect that things will be like we planned.
Click to expand...

Wow, that hits home. My grandparents were laborers, hard workers who helped build America. My grandmother had a HS education, while my grandfather had to quit school in the 9th grade during the depression to help support his family. He never went back to school.

They worked hard and saved long, and planned to do some fun things in retirement. Right after they retired, grandma fell ill and died. At the funeral, my grandfather said to me, "Bill, sometimes, the golden years aren't so golden. Have some fun while you're young and healthy enough to enjoy it, don't wait to regret it."

Powerful words. Wise words.
 
Thanks for sharing that, Bill. My grandparents had a similar story. My grandfather started a power line construction company during the depression, when the Rural Electification Administration was created. That business is still going today. He died shortly after retiring at age 70, and my grandmother died shortly after him. My wife and I are negotiating that same compromise of having fun now but also being adequately prepared for retirement.
 
gkainz said:
My wife and I are negotiating that same compromise of having fun now but also being adequately prepared for retirement.
Click to expand...

I've seen it so many times. People dieing after they retire after working hard and saving all their lives. You're right Greg, its a delicate balance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top