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A few days ago I met up with a friend of mine for lunch. He lives 7-8 hours away and we only see each other a couple of times a year. We were pretty close from grades 8-12. We spent thousands of days at each other’s houses playing ball in the yard. I was the best man at both of his weddings (his first wife died). He was in my wedding.
Time and distance sometimes separates people from each other. Well, he was visiting his in-laws about 20 miles from my house, so we met up and spent 2 1/2 hours eating and talking about days gone by. The conversation led me to asking how he was coping with his diagnosis, life after retirement, medicine regimen and day to day living with Parkinson’s disease. At times in the conversation I couldn’t make out what he was saying and asked him to repeat his comments. A few other times I just nodded because I didn’t want to ask him to repeat what he had just said. My friend Gerald has Parkinson’s disease. He’s 58 years old. Gerald’s tremors occur mostly in his neck and jaw when he tries to talk, making it really difficult for him to communicate. He also slides his feet when he walks to keep from falling. Gerald has a beautiful family that includes two grown children, two grandchildren and an amazing wife. Gerald’s faith is strong in Jesus, Who gives him strength, peace and perseverance. At the close of our visit, Gerald and I embraced and exchanged “I love yous” as he began to cry. It was an emotional time. I’ll do a better job at calling him in the coming months.
I was reminded, and want to remind you, to treasure the people whom you hold dear in your life. Pray for them and tell them that you love them unconditionally. Life is about experiences, yes, but more importantly life is about relationships. Cultivate and cherish your relationships. Forgive and mend broken relationships. Be kind, encourage and give love freely without condition.
