I’d like to share an except from my new book – A Leap Year of Firsts. I thought this following first was timely and topical. I hope you agree….
“I had obviously heard of and maybe caught a few scenes here or there over time of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, but I had never watched the entire movie. That day there was an It’s a Wonderful Life marathon on TV. It was on all day. I took advantage and watched the entire movie for the first time. As I watched, with the challenges we faced in 2020, I felt a strong affinity to George Bailey.
I was touched by the closing scene. Who wouldn’t be? I took a picture of the moral of the movie that was written to the central character, George Bailey (James Stewart), by his guardian angel Clarence that said… “Dear George: Remember no man is a failure who has friends! Thanks for the wings! Love, Clarence.” I then posted it to my Facebook page with my wishes of Happy Christmas and Merry Chanukah — a perfect first for that Christmas Day.”
PS – Looking back: I not only watched It’s a Wonderful Life for the first time, I watched it back to back. It has been a wonderful life so far. I am going to continue to work hard to keep making it that way. I was given a gift by my father on his last days on this Earth. I spent his last dying days by his bedside. I held his hand as he took his last dying breath. The gift he gave me was the gift of the appreciation of life and not fearing death. He freed me somehow that day over 10 years ago. When it was determined that there was nothing that could be done for him, he was placed in Hospice care in my dining room, which we converted into a makeshift hospital room.
He told me, “I’m ready to go; I’ve lived a good (wonderful) life.” This was from an “old-school” guy who was not free with his feelings. I believe one of the few times, if not the only time, he told me he loved me was during that last month as I took him to and from appointments and treatments while running my business from his hospital room at Fox Chase Cancer Center. To self-analyze, maybe that is also why I now try and make it a point to express my love and feelings more freely as I age. He passed away the next day. My goal is to say the same thing on my way out that he said to me, “I’m ready to go; I’ve lived a good life.” My firsts have helped me in part in achieving the living a good life in order to be prepared for the exit when it comes. Hopefully by me sharing these firsts it will help you to achieve the ability to say the same someday.
??? – Has the loss of a dear loved one changed your perspective on life and death?