5am Wake Up Call

The clock showed 5:00 a.m. Fred had been struggling in the other room. I’d heard him sliding around on the floor but my sleep was too hard and my dreams had kept me from waking. Pulling myself out from under the warm covers, I find him stuck in the hall, the carpet runners pushed up against the wall. He is wet and when I pick him up, his legs won’t hold him. Mopping up the mess, I am sad; not angry, not frustrated, not afraid. Just sad.

We go back to bed for just a little more sleep, a little more respite from the struggle of consciousness.

Fred won’t wake up for our morning walk so Ethel and I head out. I realize that this is how it’s going to be from now on, just the two of us. Our friends on the trail ask “where’s your other one?” I just reply, “He’s home today.” Soon, I’ll say something else.

Breakfast is only appealing to Ethel today. She must know what’s going on. It’s the natural cycle of life and death. You can’t have one without the other.

It is a beautiful day and the sun is shining brightly. It will be nice for Fred to spend some time outside in the sun. I’ll give him a sponge bath and get him clean for his “dad’s” visit. We’ll try to eat again. And, we’ll sleep again, escaping the sadness and pain. Another day closer to heaven.

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There’s more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There’s far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round
It’s the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life