Family – Page 4 – Disney Customer Service Keynote Speaker

Missing Carter

Ever miss something or someone so much that it takes your breath away?

Not wanting to belabor the point, however, yesterday was tough coming home.

You know what I’m talking about. And I was just grieving the loss of a Pet.

Ever wonder what it must be like to try to recover from the loss of a child, perhaps a teenager who is taken away suddenly and tragically?

Today is dedicated to those Families. If you are one of them, or know a Family like this (we know several), please pray for them with all your heart.

We can very likely assume that they are going through a hell that is impossible to imagine. And a hell that may never go away. Ever.

Happy Birthday Dad

Happy Birthday Johnny. Johnny, my Father-In-Law, turns 84 today. Can you imagine 84?

His father died when he was just a young boy. His uncle, an alcoholic, tried to raise him as best he could.

Johnny got his driver’s license to get a job with the City of Allentown, but never drove a car, his entire life.

Johnny served our country in Europe during WWII, putting his life on the line for you and me.

Johnny provided for his Family, working hard all his life, at a job that provided no glamour, no glory, no prestige.

Johnny always tried to make his wife and daughter happy, so they never had to “go without”.

Johnny is a devout Catholic. And a big Frank Sinatra fan.

Johnny retired and never had to work another day in his life.

Johnny is a “rich” man.

Like many 84-year olds, his health is failing. He knows it. We all know it.

Johnny, if this is the last birthday you have (and I pray to God it’s not), my birthday wish for you is that you know that I Love You!

Twistee Treat To Do

I still have the post-it note up on my office wall, near the phone.

Crazy, isn’t it? I mean the things we think about and the things we do.

So, in the midst of the fairly intense topic the past few days, I’m going to switch gears today, and revisit a topic from ten days ago.

Something like 14 months ago, we thought our beloved Canine Son (Yellow Lab) Carter was going to die, perhaps in less than one week.

I asked our son, “What do you think we should do with Carter before he leaves us?”

“Take him for ice cream at Twistee Treat”, he said, without hesitating.

And that’s exactly what we did. In hind sight, that trivial post-it note probably didn’t need to be written. I mean, what Father would forget to do something as important as honoring this “last request”?

And then there’s the next question, “Why does this adult (50) still have a stupid little post-it note hanging on his office wall?”

The Gift That Visit Brought Us

Happiest Dog in the World

We’ve been talking about a beloved Family pet, our Yellow Lab, Carter.

Virtually all pet owners understand the remarkable bond humans forge with their pets. And it’s especially strong in a pet relationship where there are no children.

Here’s the gift we received from what we thought was our very last weekend with Carter. We were staying at Mitchell’s Sand Castles, which is pet-friendly and on a quiet end of Sanibel Island. It was our 22 visit.

After a nice day on the Sanibel beach, with Carter at our side all day, we had a nice dinner in our cottage. I was walking contemplatively through the dark and tropical setting, taking the trash up to the road.

When around one dark corner, I was mildly startled by another man, standing by the road. Unusual, and a little freaky.

We said casual greetings and then he asked me, “Were you the guy with the Yellow Lab on the beach this afternoon?”

“Yeah, that was me.”

He said, and I will never forget this, “I’ve never seen a dog wag it’s tail so much. You must have the happiest dog on earth.”

There was a reason we went to Sanibel for Carter’s last weekend (so we thought) on earth.

It was so I could meet the total stranger out by the road, waiting for his pizza delivery guy.

The End Was Imminent

Imminent. Looming. Threatening.

This is what we thought October 2008, just over a year ago.

Our beloved Canine Son, Carter, a nine-year old Yellow Lab, was very sick.

Our Vet spotted an unusual sore in the roof of Carter’s mouth during his routine annual exam two months prior.

The sore ate a hole in the roof of his mouth at an alarming rate – what seemed literally overnight. In hindsight, maybe we panicked.

We honestly thought that Carter may not see another weekend and we quickly made arrangements for “one last trip” to our favorite Family vacation spot, Sanibel Island.

We talked with our son (eight) about death. We talked about our favorite Carter memories. We talked about what we’d miss the most about Carter.

We said goodbye to Carter.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Carter is still with us. He still struggles with the complications from the hole when he drinks and eats, but overall, it’s a miracle he’s still here.

Tomorrow, the gift that visit brought us.