Would you quit your job? Would you give up on your life?
My dad never gave up, even when he was sick or injured from work, he kept on working so that our family could have food and shelter.
Today my dad is dying from pancreatic cancer, but he has not quit holding the torch, remaining strong so I can be strong.
When your dad is dying, one could be thinking about an inheritance, relief from having to care for him, or some other thought.
But for me, the only thing I think about is how grateful I am, that I’m almost 60 and I still have my dad.
Though my dad was a construction worker (not a college grad), he is the smartest man I know.
My dad is the only man on this planet who will always tell me the truth, as he sees it.
My dad gives me the unfiltered truth without regard for political correctness.
Have you ever heard of Archie Bunker, from the 1970s TV sitcom, “All in the Family”? Well, my dad is Archie Bunker.
I love my dad and his candid answers.
My dad is a part of a dying breed, literally, he is a dying breed of men who will give you the truth, even if it’s bad news.
Remember the 1992 movie by Mel Brooks, “Robin Hood: Men in Tights”?
There is a scene of Prince John, played Richard Lewis and the Sheriff of Rottingham, played by Roger Reese.
Sheriff says, “Sire, I have news”.
Prince John says, “What sort of news do you have? It’s not bad news, is it? You know I can’t handle bad news”! The Sheriff then says, “To be perfectly frank, it’s bad”!
Then Prince John says, “Well, if you tell me the bad news in a good way, maybe it won’t sound so bad”.
The movie pokes fun people who only want good news (or so I should say, bad news in a good way).
My dad never cared about changing trends or changing cultures, and he tells it like it is.
My dad lives and dies by his true North; he never changes his beliefs for anybody.
Though there were some offensive things my dad would say, just like Archie Bunker, he always spoke the truth.
And as I spend the last moments with my dad, I appreciate his final life lesson for me as a man: teaching me how to die.
So, in conclusion, if you knew you were going to die, what would you do different today?
I pray you never lose hope and you never give up on life.
May God bless you and your sick family member to get through this painful time.
John Herrera, MuniTemps / CitySpeak.