Gifts

I'm a huge stargate fan. The movie, SG1, Atlantis, the new DVDs...
There has been a new episode of Atlantis waiting for a few weeks on my DVR. The one where Rodney McKay, a genius (especially in his own mind) contracts a terminal illness that first robs him of intellect. As if you could catch Down Syndrome like a cold.
I am glad I waited a while to watch this. If I had seen it when it aired, it would have been too raw, too close to what we almost lost with Dad.
We are so freaking lucky. Dad is a genius. His IQ is around 165. He has always been the smartest person I know.
Although his response time is slowed by the misfires in his brain after the stroke, the spark is still there. His sense of humor, his love, his appreciation of being alive still shines from his eyes. Every week he gains a bit. He finds words more easily, he gets closer to standing by himself, he even shaved himself last week.
We visit once a week. We are going tomorrow, and again Friday, and every Friday thereafter.
I am so glad to have this time to truly appreciate him, and what he adds to our lives.
Life was not always easy being raised in our family, but now that we are all older (including Dad) we are more forgiving of one another. We have been given this gift of time. However many years it will or won't be, to treasure each other as individuals.