The Toothpick
Today (January 13, 2015), two of my sisters, my dad’s wife Eva, and myself were with my father as he was transitioning to departing this life and entering into the next. We all knew that we only had a few hours left with this good man and we wanted to enjoy the time we had with him. My sister Connie shared a simple antidote about dad that I thought would be good to write about.
She described a recent request from him. He wanted a toothpick so he could remove the food that was caught between his teeth. Connie told us that she went to the nurse’s station to inquire about whether or not they had one. They didn’t but they knew where they could find a couple for him. They went into another patient’s room and borrowed some (I shouldn’t say borrowed because I don’t believe he wanted them back).
This simple act of kindness was meaningful to Dad and to Connie. After cleaning his teeth he just let the toothpick rest on his lower lip, moving it from side to side just as natural as we remember him always doing.
As I thought about this simple little experience I was strongly impressed with how the little comforts of life can be such a blessing to us. At the moment Dad got the toothpick he was excited because an annoying piece of food was about to be removed from his teeth and he could get on with the visit.
What a great blessing it is to be able to understand, appreciate and share with our children the simple things of life.
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Anne's Corner
Enjoy the simple pleasures of life, what a great value to pass on to a child. This is more important than ever, with the increasing number of screen time activities, expensive toys, and pressures to buy the next greatest thing. The first important step is to take a couple of minutes yourself to let go of your own stress. Stop, take a deep, slow inhale, then give an extra-long exhale, letting your shoulders drop. Next, choose a simple idea and invite your child to join you. Depending on their age, you can make a fort with pillows and blankets, then lie down together inside and tell silly stories; make s’mores on the stove top or in the microwave and enjoy making a sticky mess while you eat them; throw bread to the ducks in the pond; drop sticks into a stream from one side of a bridge, then rush over to the other side and see whose stick comes out first; take a walk around the block or a hike up the canyon and find 5 different kinds of leaves or rocks or insects. Write to us and share your simple pleasure experiences. We’d love to hear from you.
Anne's Corner
Enjoy the simple pleasures of life, what a great value to pass on to a child. This is more important than ever, with the increasing number of screen time activities, expensive toys, and pressures to buy the next greatest thing. The first important step is to take a couple of minutes yourself to let go of your own stress. Stop, take a deep, slow inhale, then give an extra-long exhale, letting your shoulders drop. Next, choose a simple idea and invite your child to join you. Depending on their age, you can make a fort with pillows and blankets, then lie down together inside and tell silly stories; make s’mores on the stove top or in the microwave and enjoy making a sticky mess while you eat them; throw bread to the ducks in the pond; drop sticks into a stream from one side of a bridge, then rush over to the other side and see whose stick comes out first; take a walk around the block or a hike up the canyon and find 5 different kinds of leaves or rocks or insects. Write to us and share your simple pleasure experiences. We’d love to hear from you. 