Every Day is a Bonus

The other day, my husband and I arrived too early at church. Long story, but 10:00 am mass didn't start till 10:30 am. So, we had some time. A few rows in front of us sat an elderly man. He was wearing a Polo shirt and on the back of it, right under the collar, it said: "Every day is a bonus." I recognized this as the motto of the Honor Flights which take war veterans to Washington DC to visit their memorials.

I thought of this motto and how it related to caring for my parents. Most of the time, if I were honest, my motto would be "Every day is a challenge." I tend to approach this journey in that way. It's about visiting Mom and Dad, getting Mom to appointments, hoping Dad is having a good day, trying to go about my regular day while shoe-horning elder care in.

But that motto made me stop and think. I'm very aware that our time with Mom and Dad is short. And like most people, I tend to feel like my family and I are immortal. If we're not facing a health crisis, I guess I'm arrogant enough to feel like we'll be around forever.

I'd like to say thinking about this motto has made me a better person. That's doubtful. I'm still whiny, irritable and probably too abrupt with my parents and my husband. But from time to time, I try to pause and think about what that means.

Every day IS a bonus, regardless of what we've been through. Most of us haven't faced war or life-threatening illnesses or personal tragedies. But as Katie Couric recently said: "We're all terminal." With that in mind, I need to go and adjust my attitude.