Important

Many things are IMPORTANT in life. The two things that come to my mind right now are family and promises. When Ken and I were married in 1991 (in an ice storm we didn’t expect), we established promises. One promise that wasn’t in our vows but very IMPORTANT was that one cooks and the other one cleans up and does the dishes.

Fast forward to Easter 2023. We were having company for Easter, which was the norm. We both knew the routine and the promise, but this year was different. Ken had just received the official Parkinson’s diagnosis, and we were navigating a new life and many new things that were IMPORTANT. It was IMPORTANT to Ken that he uphold his end of the promise and he would clean up and do the dishes. He looked me straight in the eyes and emphatically told me he would do the dishes. With all the work I had done, I was happy to have him do the dishes.

Easter was a beautiful day and after lunch and an Easter egg hunt our grandson, Wesley, wanted to play with Grandpa and kick the ball. As they kicked the ball, I went into the kitchen. I stood and looked at all the dirty dishes and then looked out the window and saw Ken and Wesley laughing and playing. I thought, “what is IMPORTANT? Is it more IMPORTANT for Ken to keep his promise of doing the dishes or is it more IMPORTANT for him to play with our grandson?” Let’s be honest; the decision didn’t take long. I rolled up my sleeves and did the dishes and tidied the kitchen. It didn’t take me long. It would have taken Ken longer. I don’t think when I returned to the backyard I had even been missed.

Parkinson’s has me reevaluating what is IMPORTANT.