Member-only story
What Do You Value and Why?
Events of the last year have shed light on my beliefs as a person.
There is no logical reason that I’ve been thinking about this. I am confident in who I am, how I became who I am, and in most cases, why I make the decisions that I do.
But in the last year, several things happened that make me see myself in a different light — perhaps both good and bad.
A Family Health Crisis
My mom was seriously ill last fall. On September 11th, 2021, she was admitted to ICU and placed on a ventilator. It was not COVID-related but still, we all thought that she was going to die. In early November, she came home. She remains there, living with my dad in the house they own. They are 85 and 86. Her recovery is nothing short of a miracle.
But when this happened, I learned some things about myself. I dropped everything and flew home. There I stayed for 18 days. I talked to physicians, social workers, therapists, and most importantly, my dad. We talked about things like quality of life and comfort care. It was hard, but discussions had to be had.
I also, somehow, became the “glue” that stuck my extended family members together. My parents are both only children. My mom’s cousins were concerned about her, as they heard she was ill. I…
