4 years ago

Four years ago on this very day, my dad was in an ICU getting a heart operation.
I was 9 years old, if my math is correct. I still remember very clearly what I was doing then at this exact hour. 
I was lying in a bed at my grandma's house, with the house phone next to me. I couldn't sleep, no matter how hard I tried. I was praying for my dad's life. I didn't know how serious it was, but I was waiting for my mom to call home and tell me it was all ok. She didn't. I remember going to sleep that night wishing my dad all the best. 
I think the biggest lesson for me the next day was appreciation. I was so grateful that the operation was successful, and that everything was ok. And when Dad said he was going to stop working for a week to sort of calm down after the operation, I was really glad, because I got to spend more time with him. And I think I was hoping that after one week he would like staying at home so much he would quit work and be at home all the time. No such luck. Haha...
I guess this story has many point-of-views. Mom told me that she was outside the ICU, where it was extremely cold. She was waiting with 3 other people who were also waiting for the good news.
Every story has many angles. So I guess one of the lessons that is learn-able from this is that we have to see the big picture to get what's really going on.