This has nothing to do with MB but I thought I would share it with the group anyway.

I have a cousin who is in his mid-forties and is in the late stages of ALS (Lou Garreg’s Disease). He can’t walk, talk, or move anything other than his mouth and his eyes. This last weekend I saw him at a family reunion and I was so saddened that this was going to be the way that I would remember him. Well, some of us got a football game going and on the first play I dove for a ball and broke my Clavical. I went to the emergency room and came back to the reunion in a sling just as they were loading my cousin up. I stood in front of him to say what is probably my last goodbye and you should of seen the smile on his face and the laughter in his eyes. It was priceless and for just one moment in time, I was with my cousin and he was whole. I thank the Lord that now I have a good final memory of my cousin and pray that He will welcome my cousin with open arms….

Lost,

It is nice to see the person that we know and love still in the shell. I am happy you shared this.

I was the last person with my Gran before she died. I remember it still to this day. My Gran was always my family member. I loved her more than anything. We sat outside and had a long discussion. I did not know it at the time but she was saying good bye to me. I remember it all. That evening I went back to college. Later that night she had a heart attack and died. I never got to speak to her again even though I promised her that we would spend all of Spring break together. Remember the love and the good times.

Bet as the yrs go by that broken Clavical maybe worth the memory of your cousin, especially as it might be your last.

I am so glad you saw his soul and countenance shining through; not his disability and pain.

Pray about this and maybe reconsider seeing him again. I had the awesome blessing of being the last one to see my dad alive. He had been in intensive care for three months following a massive heart attack. He had crashed and was on a ventilator with so many meds flowing through so many iv's that he looked like a bionic man or something. The miracle was, that he was so alive in his soul and his eyes. He could write barely, and so I knew his heart. The night before he met God, I was there late at 10:30. He was to be weaned off the respirator the very next day. I told him how I was gonna buy him a computer when he got out and he'd then use all his knowledge to embark on a career in computer programming. He was an elec. engineer.

I was walking out the door when something (God) made me literally stop in my tracks. Out of the blue I said, "I just want you to know that you are the most wonderful and brave man I've ever known. I love you more than words and just want to say how proud of you I am for everything you have ever done". Those were the last words I said to my dad. His eyes were blue and bright. He nodded to me and tried to smile. I lost him at 2:30 am.

Lost is wrong, but how I feel. He was my earthly protector when the world was harsh. Without a doubt I know he is with our Lord. I miss him terribly but am so blessed to have had that once in a lifetime chance to say my heart, my soul one last time.

So rethink your "bad memory" of remembering cousin that way. My dad passed from our arms to the arms of our Lord fully knowing that he was loved.

I am so glad you saw his soul and countenance shining through; not his disability and pain.

Pray about this and maybe reconsider seeing him again. I had the awesome blessing of being the last one to see my dad alive. He had been in intensive care for three months following a massive heart attack. He had crashed and was on a ventilator with so many meds flowing through so many iv's that he looked like a bionic man or something. The miracle was, that he was so alive in his soul and his eyes. He could write barely, and so I knew his heart. The night before he met God, I was there late at 10:30. He was to be weaned off the respirator the very next day. I told him how I was gonna buy him a computer when he got out and he'd then use all his knowledge to embark on a career in computer programming. He was an elec. engineer.

I was walking out the door when something (God) made me literally stop in my tracks. Out of the blue I said, "I just want you to know that you are the most wonderful and brave man I've ever known. I love you more than words and just want to say how proud of you I am for everything you have ever done". Those were the last words I said to my dad. His eyes were blue and bright. He nodded to me and tried to smile. I lost him at 2:30 am.

Lost is wrong, but how I feel. He was my earthly protector when the world was harsh. Without a doubt I know he is with our Lord. I miss him terribly but am so blessed to have had that once in a lifetime chance to say my heart, my soul one last time.

So rethink your "bad memory" of remembering cousin that way. My dad passed from our arms to the arms of our Lord fully knowing that he was loved.

Billy,

Thanks for sharing. I love this story. I actually used it a couple of times this week to put my mind straight and make myself stop and count my blessings.

I'm so happy that you will have great memories of your cousin but I'm sorry he had to face such a devastating illness. May God Bless and Comfort your family during this time, and always!

Sorry 'bout that clavicle too. Take care of yourself.

As they say in dog obedience school...... HEAL!!!
Lynn