Love Lived Out

By Jeff Becraft

I have mentioned my parents (now 95 and 92) before and I have also mentioned some of the things below… but it is worth reiterating.  My parents’ 67th wedding anniversary was on June 5th. In honor of his grandparents, our son, Josiah and his wife, Deanna, were also married on June 5th back in 2015.

My Mom has now had alzheimer’s for 13 years. At this point, she is totally bedridden and needs to stay at a higher level nursing facility. She is a fantastic Mom and taught 3rd grade for 30 years. When she was still able to go out in public, adults would come up to us on a regular basis and say to her, “Mrs. Becraft… you taught me in 3rd grade. Thank you for what you did for me in my life.”

For years, my Dad took care of my Mom at home until my Mom broke her hip.  She then had to move into a residential facility. My Dad continued to go see my Mom and have dinner with her every single day.  My Mom’s ability to speak eventually deteriorated but Dad was still by her side and they could often be seen holding hands after dinner.

In November of 2019, my Dad fell and broke his hip. Since then, he has not been able to drive and go see Mom every day. But even now, Dad goes and sees her once a week as someone will take him. He will sit next to her bed and put his hand on her knee and talk to to her. My Mom cannot talk back and can only open her eyes once in a while.

I’m not sure what each of us would call love… but that’s it.

It is a privilege and honor to be able to call my Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad. They have certainly shown me what love and commitment are and have poured out love to me throughout my entire life.

So, Mom and Dad… this one is for you. Thank you for being there for one another and being there for me and my brother.  You have certainly made it easy for me to understand what love is.

It is a great day to appreciate our parents,

Jeff Becraft is the Executive Director for Youth Corps and has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives.  Youth Corps is a life-changing leadership development experience that inspires high school students to be leaders in the Midlands and beyond. You can connect with Jeff at [email protected].