One day, he found out that his mom was really sick and wanted to see him, even though he didn’t visit her very often. With her last bit of strength, she answered his surprised question about how he could help her by saying something important.
Because social media shows so much of our lives, a guy decided to tell a powerful story to help others avoid his mistakes. He had left his mom in a nursing home, and her last wish was for him to make things better there because it was in such bad shape.
“After my dad died, I thought putting my mom in a nursing home was the right choice. I realize now that I was being selfish because I didn’t want my life to revolve around her, and I regret not thinking about her comfort or happiness at all.
So when I finally got the news that she was really sick, I rushed to the nursing home and ended up capturing a goodbye that I never expected to experience.”
I asked her how I could help her feel better because I noticed her eyes were getting dimmer, and it made me feel really sad inside. She told me that the reason she wanted to improve the nursing home was that there were times when she didn’t have any food because the fridges were broken, when she couldn’t breathe because it was too hot and the fans weren’t working, and when she couldn’t sleep because the bed was uncomfortable.
Hearing her talk made me feel like the ground was disappearing beneath me, and I couldn’t understand why she was sharing this with me now instead of earlier when I could have done something to help. Then, she gave me advice that changed my life.
She strongly warned me to think about what I leave behind and explained that this is why she wants to make the nursing home better. She was worried that one day my kids might leave me there and I would go through the same things she did. Her last words were, “What you give is what you get.”