codeKaiser

For One More Day

I am sure that many of us wish we could go back in time and say something to someone who is no longer with us. Mitch Albom has undertaken the task to write about someone who was able to do such an impossible task. No he didn't go back in time, but Charles "Chick" Benetto was able to spend a day with his mom eight years after her death.

Chick Benetto, a major league has been, made such a mess of his life that he was travelling to his hometown to do himself in, when a major car accident almost completed the job for him. In the midst of this, Chick walked the remaining distance to his hometown and even stepped into his former house. To say that he was surprised when he saw his deceased mother in his house cooking breakfast for him is more than an understatement. But that is exactly what happened and he was able to spend that day with his mother as if she had never died.

During this day, Chick was able to remember how his mother stood up for him and how he failed to do the same for her. He learned a few things about his mother and father that helped explain their divorce and he learned things that helped him understand more completely the many wonderful qualities she displayed. Through their journeys on this day, Chick was ultimately able to say some of the things that he wished he could have said when she was still living and they smoothed over many of his regrets. In short if we were able to pick our last day with a loved one, it would probably be like this one.

Chick was able to do something that I expect is not the norm for the general population. So if there is something to take away from this story, that thing is to not make the same mistakes that Chick makes. Be honest with your family and say the things that you long to say. You never know which words will be the last words you say to any individual.