“๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.โ
๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, “๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐๐” (๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ต)
A few weeks ago, my wife, son, and I attended a short film festival in Manasquan, NJ called Asbury Shorts which has become an annual tradition for us in recent years. There are always a few films that stand out, but this year one film, called Extra Innings, really touched me in ways that I was totally unprepared for.ย
So much emotion is packed into this 8-minute film that touches on many layers of life: our shared love of baseball; the challenges and complexities that often accompany father son relationships; that tension of chasing your own dreams versus living someone elseโs dream; and the anticipatory grief associated with the onset of dementia or Alzheimerโs, leaving little to no chance to mend unresolved relationship wounds.
The film captures a yearning for our loved ones that is deeply human and often expressed when they pass away and we hear ourselves saying โI wish I had more timeโ.
When my Dad passed away 14 years ago, I can vividly remember saying to my daughter Katie t the repast, โI wish I could have just one more hug with my Dadโ and she gently replied, โDad, one hug would never be enough for Poppyโ.
We all want more time with our loved ones and crave those extra innings whether their journey here is a long one like my Mom who passed at 91 or my Dad at 85 and especially when their journey is cut way too short like my brother Dennis who died at 19.
Grieving the loss of a loved one is even more difficult when our loved one is living through those extra innings with a debilitating disease like terminal cancer or as in this film’s case, a Dad suffering from dementia.
In the film, the Dad no longer recognizes his son, and the son grieves not just for the father he once knew, but perhaps for the connection he never fully had. There’s a longing for understanding, for resolution, and for closure and in cases of dementia, that healing can feel out of reach, no matter how many extra innings the Lord may provide.
None of us know how many extra innings God may give us nor “the day or the hour” when He calls us home. But during this season of Lent, the film is a reminder to ask God for the strength to be more forgiving, to be more accepting, and to seek reconciliation with others while time still allows. In the end, the extra innings we yearn for arenโt really about more time but about receiving more of Godโs grace to carry us through the journey.
Wishing my clients, fellow coaches, colleagues, and friends the gift of Godโs abundant love, Dr. K ๐ โค๏ธ
#spiritualcoaching #griefcoaching #executivecoaching #careercoaching
