Take the elderly out for a walk

Traveling with parents is the happiness of children. Photo: XH

It was the first time the 92-year-old grandfather went out with his children and grandchildren. Before leaving, the whole family, from adults to children, focused on the question of "how to make him not want to go home".

And “strange” things continued to happen throughout the journey. Since the day she died, he had not left home. Perhaps the furthest he went, were the days his children and grandchildren took him to her grave.

This time, the children were determined to take their father on a trip. It seemed that he understood their efforts, he agreed and firmly said: Let's go, because he knew how much longer they could go.

He is hard of hearing but clear-minded. Coming to Phu Ninh Lake, he told about the war days when the southern Quang Nam area was a wild and dense forest.

Arriving at Rang Nui Thanh beach, he told stories about Chu Lai airport and the American troops landing. It seemed like every land had left a mark on him as a very old day. That's right, since the peace , he stayed in Dien Ban to work and raise his children.

Every step the old man took was supported by his sons. The excitement in the eyes of children when going out became the squinting of an old man when coming to a strange land.

People say old people become children again, perhaps because after experiencing all the flavors of life, old people see the primitive life like a child.

Going on trips with adults at home is sometimes not as exciting as going on trips with friends. But strangely enough, after returning home, the moments of the trip keep coming back, with the shadow of parents.

I remember the time I took my father to experience a resort in Hoi An beach area. He kept on saying how the grass was still green and fresh like in the early morning, while the weather was harsh. At the breakfast buffet, he just stood there quietly smacking his lips because he didn't know how he could serve so many dishes at once...

Every summer my friend took his mother from the highlands down to the city to go to the beach. He said that the first time she saw the ocean, her mother was scared. So every afternoon the whole family took her to the beach, until the end of the summer, when she knew the saltiness of the ocean and felt the waves hitting her back as if someone was massaging her.

After my father passed away, my mother became... "difficult". The trips with her became less frequent. She said that if she went, who would stay home to burn incense? But I think it was because the trips with her children now lacked the presence of a relative. It made her sad and she always wanted to avoid it.

Just like my grandfather, in the afternoon at the beach, while skewering sweet potatoes, he urged the whole family to go home. "Come back, don't leave your mother waiting at home", while the first anniversary of her death had just passed...

“Mother is the greatest gift that life has given to us, those who have and are having a mother” (Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh). I realized this when I experienced the days of losing my father. Life is impermanent, separation and reunion are only a split second apart.

I often encourage my friends when they change their profile picture to a white lotus on a black background. But deep down, like me, I know they will go through endless empty days.

Fortunately, if in this life, children can take their parents' hands everywhere as much as the days when their parents took them out to play when they were young....

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/dat-tay-nguoi-gia-di-choi-3139690.html