|
My friend, who is a Porsche mechanic, has a similar story.
I met my friend before I could drive. I rode my bike to his house, and hung out while he fixed Porsches in his garage after work. He is a factory trained Porsche mechanic. When I got my driver's license, of course I took my cars to him for repairs. He taught me a lot, and was most of the reason that I thought Porsches were fun and not a burden.
I grew up with his kids. They are my age. His wife used to send me home with her home-made pasta sauce. They would go out dancing, and were active members of their social club. Well, the wife was diagnozed with dementia. She would go wandering off by herself in the neighborhood. She would fight her own husband, and would leave the stove or oven on. He had to put her in a home. It was stressing him out. I went with him one day to go visit his wife. He fed her, and we prayed together. Somehow, she remembered me.
One day, while at a group talk about loved ones with mental decline issues, my friend met a lady who was teaching classes on how to cope. Her husband passed away. They became friends, and then close friends. I have taken them both out for sushi a few times. I believe in my heart that this friendship has saved my friend's life. He was not going to last much longer, and saw very little to live for until he met her.
The take away is that while your loved ones are still your family, and you still must find a way to do your duty, you should not forget that life must be lived. It was simply the most sane thing that I saw anyone do. I know that this causes feelings of guilt, but honestly your life is a very precious thing, and you should not waste it.
|