I’ve been twice told that this day would never come.

My father has a whole assortment of chronic conditions including heart disease, kidney failure, and diabetes. In March 2010, I got a call from his physician (the first such call I had ever received) and was told bluntly that the convergence of all my father’s conditions left him no more than 3 months to live. During those subsequent months my father lost his right leg as well as one his best friends, circumstances which may have broken most people, but somehow he persevered. This past April, my father suffered his fifth heart attack and my wife, children, and I went to his bedside late at night because we were told there was a chance that would be his last night on Earth. But somehow he pulled through and he’s still here with us.

Although still in dire shape (he was brought to the emergency room just last night), I am going to cherish the time I spend with my father this weekend. Through the years he has offered me little tidbits of potent wisdom at times when I had least expected it. I believe he is still here for a purpose and, perhaps, he has one more lesson to teach me.

~
Update – Pat Albano passed away on August 15, 2012. An online memorial has been set up at Albano-USA.org