The soul knows no bounds.

The physical body may be weak and the mind may be lost to dementia.

But it’s one’s soul that truly knows.

I believe that the will of my 95 year old father to live comes from each and every individual that watches over him, cares for him and ensures his comfort every single day.

His will to live comes from each and every individual that remembers him and recognizes him.

With every recognition, the soul is energized.

No matter how brief the encounter, it’s the soul that feeds on the energy that keeps him going.

A relative mentioned that she saw my father in the hospital the other day.

When souls meet, they come alive.

My father’s soul is no exception. 

A greeting here and there, is recognition of love and hope for his soul.

A two minute phone call, a touch of a hand, a voice from a distance all feed his soul.

The body will continue to struggle and the mind will keep wandering off but the soul remains.

Present, where each and every moment is worth living for as long as one’s soul is fed and acknowledged.

There is LIFE.

There is FAITH.

My father at age 95 believed he could do it.

He thought he had it all figured out.

After 8 years in dialysis, hardly eating and struggling decided to call it quits.

His instructions were clear.

Stop dialysis.

He was clear about what would happen thereafter.

Death.

“I am going to die and I want to be with your mom.”

Dutiful children that we are, we prepared to honor his wishes.

We said our goodbyes.

His surroundings were set up for his final days to come.

On the day that was supposed to have been his last dialysis treatment everyone bade him farewell.

He must have been overflowing with love that when he arrived home he changed his mind.

“Continue dialysis.  I don’t like it but I know I need it.”

Tears turned in joy.

Despair turned into hope.

Fatigue turned in renewed energy.

God truly has a way of allowing us all to make things right here on earth.

It was not so much about my father choosing to give up.

Rather, it was an awakening for us.

LOVE can move mountains!

When my father decided to call it quits, everyone dropped everything and ran to him.

One last time with dad, one last touch, one last kiss.

Oh! how dad missed being surrounded with LOVE.

Truth is, he was somewhat forgotten.

Not in an intentional way, more like, we all got caught up in our own battles.

We took for granted that he needed to be remembered.

Everyone “forgot” to visit him and spend time with him.

So he decided on his own to call it a day.

God truly is GOOD!

He has granted us all a window of opportunity to make up for lost time.

This last hundred meter stretch of dad has turned out to be a silver lining for all.

Just as my father has his own journey to fulfill, so do we.

We all have roles to play in each other’s lives.

No finger pointing, no judgements.

When dad gets to the finish line, it’s only GOD who decides.

The same for us too.

What I know for sure is that every single hour of the day counts.

Every second matters.

How we choose to spend our time is our choice and not because one has to.

As I continue to make the most out of every second of the day,

I say a prayer in silence for my father.

I love you dad, don’t be afraid.

You are in good hands, safe and sound with GOD by your side.

There is no right formula for Life except to live it well as can be.

Living well has no formula either.

It is unique to every individual and without judgement.

My sister has stage 4 cancer.

She ate very well, a vegetarian and conscious eater for many years.

There were bad moments in her younger years but those habits stopped when she made a decision to come clean.

My father is 94 years old.  He has been in dialysis for 7 years now.

He’s practically outlived most of his good friends.

He has surpassed the life span of dialysis which usually works up to 5 years.

My good friend Anette was only 44 years old when she passed away.

She was an amazingly good hearted and good natured person.

Although she had a weak heart and was on dialysis as she had lost both her kidneys.

She’s had a few close calls with life before she eventually passed away.

So, I ask myself, “what is the right formula for life?”

Eat well, live a healthy lifestyle?  Be a good person with a good attitude? 

My father, being a doctor of medicine, ate everything that was not good for the body but to date shows no sign of giving up on life.

My sister fights for her life everyday as she battles cancer.  It’s like walking on eggs every single day.

My friend never stood a fighting chance when her heart caved in on her.  She suffered and struggled for months.

As I put the year 2020 to a close, I asked myself, “what is the right formula for life?”

I don’t have an answer to this question, however, there is only one thing I know for sure.

That is, placing GOD in the center of my life, every single day that I begin and end my days.

A year later since the pandemic, so much still happening.

Situations test one’s patience.

Every day, for me at least, is a work in progress, keeping calm and mindful.

The doorbell rang.

Toto the gardener asked to speak to me.

I came down to meet him and he showed me a bicycle.

Since the pandemic, Toto has had challenges commuting home.

One morning he mentioned to me that he was looking for a bicycle.

I told him I’d see what I can do.

Quite frankly, I didn’t put much time into trying to look for one.

I forgot all about our conversation! 

Alas! He finally found one that was being sold to him for $50.

Toto then expressed that he didn’t have the money to pay for the bicycle.

I asked him to wait while I headed back to get the cash.

I thought to myself, how blessed I am!

To be able to pay kindness forward at a very low price.

The reward is a hundredfold!

Toto gets to go home to see his family.

And for me, a day well accomplished!

God’s light shines and illuminates!