Pride Never Dies

I am working with a man who seems to feel as though his very existence is an inconvenience. He doesn't like to have to be cared for. He doesn't want to be waited on. As he struggles to do the simplest of things, he apologizes. He feels as thoughif he wasn't around, that those who love him the most would be able to go along with their lives in peace; without having to take care of him.

I am not part of this family, but I am part of a family. The circle of life is just that. A circle. It is never ending. I impagine being a patriarch is a tough job. I am a father of three wonderful kids. I would hope that, as a reciprocal gift, they would take care of me if I ever needed it. Its what you do with the people you love. You return the favor; the many years that parents take care of their kids, you take care of the parents. This man, I can imagine, was a strong head of household. He is a very tall man in stature, weakened by a disease that is draining his strength daily. As he shuffles left, then right, then left, with every step, he feels as though the family member stabilizing his steps from behind is inconvenienced. I don't know if he is in pain, but I know he hurts. He hurts for the days that he was the one who lifted up his children, high into the air and made them feel like they could do anything. He forgets that, by doing so, he was preparing them for this day. This day when he is the one that needs lifting, carrying, supporting.

This job has taught me so many different things at some of the weirdest times. I am an observer. I watch, I listen, I learn. I learn that even the sickest people get the most satisfaction by simply standing up on their own. These are possibly some of the last victories, albeit small in nature, that last the longest. Yesterday, I needed help. Today I did it on my own. I can't wait for tomorrow when I can show people I am strong. Whether or not his cancer takes his life away, he is proof of a simple fact, one that possibly we could all use as we fight, not just illness, but life...

Pride will never die.