Remember last year when I shared about my dad having a mini stroke?
I talked about how hard it was seeing him stumble over himself after watching this strong man in my life do so much and go through so much for us. I was so used to seeing my dad move around with ease and take care of his home and family.
He never fully recovered from the stroke or the minor leg injury he suffered due to his age (now 68) and the fact his bones don’t heal as fast as they used to. But as you can see he didn’t let that stop him.
My husband and brother moved these huge wood logs from the front of my parent’s home to the backyard. Since then, my parents have been working on sawing and chopping the wood into pieces to prepare for the upcoming winter.
What you see here is the work of my parents, still standing strong, moving around and taking care of business.
We still have to get on my dad at times and remind him to take breaks and drink plenty of water because working like this in 98 degree weather is what caused his stroke. We couldn’t bear it happening to him again.
When my mother shared this photo with us I got really excited because I know that my dad still has willpower, motivation and strength in his life that’s keeping him going.
There’s another big cause in keeping my parents going and that’s entertaining their grands and greats.
Our kids make sure they get to see their grandparents on a regular basis, always asking to go over their house. That means a lot to me that they want to spend that kind of time with them.
A couple of weeks ago they had a backyard sleepover with all of their grandchildren where they camped out in this tent. They prepared the yard and got everything together for them. You can see a glimpse of their garden behind the tent along with their tool shed.
The kids had a blast sharing stories all night long and listening to the nature around them.
I’m really grateful our kids get to have these experiences with their grandparents. I’m mostly glad that both of them still have a zeal for life!