Together is Better

Over the past few weeks I found myself at the cancer clinic with my dad.  The first time I took dad there my mind was elsewhere.  Stephen was flying to Ontario and was planning to surprise mom and dad when we got back to Napanee.  I was attentive enough to be present for dad but was excited to get back to Napanee where I could see my boy.  They did a couple of biopsies, bandaged him up and we were back on the road.  That day it was just Dad and I and it was a little more work.  I had dropped him off at the door, drove around to find a parking spot three blocks away, ran back a block to pay for parking, run back to put the ticket in the car and then back three blocks to the hospital.  I waited in the waiting room until he was done and then I ran the blocks to the car and came back and picked him up.

Today, Ron came to be the chauffeur because the weather wasn’t looking great.  He dropped dad and I off at the door and we went through the registration and found our way to the cancer clinic.  One spot was okay but on his ear they had found carcinoma…it had to be removed.  I heard the details and backed out before the slicing began.  

As I walked through the waiting room, I noticed couples sitting close together holding hands.  They sat quietly waiting for some kind of treatment.  As I watched these people I could almost see hope in the eyes of those waiting to go through the treatment.  Their loving partner held their hands and it seems like their eyes were more of fear.  I might have been imagining it but it seemed hope and fear sat holding hands.  Hope was there wanting the treatment to extend their life…give them more time.  Fear is that the treatment might not work…that the quality of life might be reduced.

One thing was for sure, they were better together.  One bringing hope and trying to the calm fears. One sitting in support and being very present.  It’s hard to go through life’s hard struggles but it helps to go through it together.  We draw strength from others when we don’t feel like we have the strength to get through.

So hold on…strength comes from those around that support you through the hard times.  Be ready to hold onto someone else when they need you.