Tomoaki, thank you for sharing this. Your story is poignant, beautifully told, and for me, it is also relatable. I take care of my 91-year-old father, with whom I have a complicated relationship, and whose mental acuity is declining. Reading your story has helped me to gain some perspective on my own relationship with my father, and has made me feel less alone. Thank you again for having the courage to share your story. Our stories may all be tiny grains of sand on an endless shore, but they still matter and make a difference.
I read the first paragraph and I had a feeling of where this was going, so I had to stop, take a few days and gather some courage to finish reading. I have a very similar, troubled relationship with my own father and this really hit that spot. He remains in good health but sometimes I fear that a situation similar to yours will have to happen before he reconciles with my mom, my siblings and myself.
We all have our own demons and sometimes we forget that our parents have their own too, sometimes much bigger and scarier than ours. They care for us when we're tiny and vulnerable and eventually we do the same for them, if we're lucky: however confusing and difficult, remaining in contact during their last days is part of a healthy grieving process. I sincerely hope that looking at these photographs and having written this story will help you heal all those wounds from the past.
Tomoaki, thank you for sharing this. Your story is poignant, beautifully told, and for me, it is also relatable. I take care of my 91-year-old father, with whom I have a complicated relationship, and whose mental acuity is declining. Reading your story has helped me to gain some perspective on my own relationship with my father, and has made me feel less alone. Thank you again for having the courage to share your story. Our stories may all be tiny grains of sand on an endless shore, but they still matter and make a difference.
I don't know how to introduce this, except to say that I read every word. And thank you, Tomoaki.
I read the first paragraph and I had a feeling of where this was going, so I had to stop, take a few days and gather some courage to finish reading. I have a very similar, troubled relationship with my own father and this really hit that spot. He remains in good health but sometimes I fear that a situation similar to yours will have to happen before he reconciles with my mom, my siblings and myself.
We all have our own demons and sometimes we forget that our parents have their own too, sometimes much bigger and scarier than ours. They care for us when we're tiny and vulnerable and eventually we do the same for them, if we're lucky: however confusing and difficult, remaining in contact during their last days is part of a healthy grieving process. I sincerely hope that looking at these photographs and having written this story will help you heal all those wounds from the past.
Thank you for sharing this.