Boxing Lessons

My mother used to LOVE to watch the saturday night boxing matches, strange as that sounds! we didn't have a television, but we all walked to my grandmother's house on many saturday nights, so mom could watch them. two netflix movies we watched this weekend had to do with boxing. they were both excellent movies: Resurrecting the Champ and Cinderella Man. There were lessons to be learned in each of these boxing films, strange as that sounds. In fact, as i sat on the edge of the couch, all caught up in them, i couldn't help wondering if that "chip" from mom fell into my DNA somehow.

but aside from the pertinent lessons i learned in these boxing films, i can't help thinking back to Mr. Schur, the man i wrote about in my previous blog posting. turns out there were lessons learned by his horrible death, as evidenced by a second small article buried deep inside my newspaper the other day. as it turns out, when i listed what he and my mom had in common, i was wrong on one point, that they both "had the same amount of money, which was next to nothing." yet, there was another point that i found out from this follow-up article that showed mom and mr schur DID have something else in common: they both suffered dementia.

if ONLY someone had looked in on him. someone! mr schur's electric bill was $1,000 in arrears, but! he had a check already written out for $1,000, that was discovered AFTER his death. dementia's confusion caused him either to forget to mail the check, or forget when it was due--but the check was already written and signed by him. he HAD THE MONEY to pay his bill, yet suffered this tragic, heinous death! in addition, he had LOTS of money, and his will designated that his thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars were to be left to a hospital. all that money, but he died alone in the cold winter.....of the season, and of his life. my heart still weeps for this "poor" man.

there are so many lessons to be learned in and from life. unfortunately, i don't tune in to them nearly as often as i should. but when i do, they strike a chord so deep within. i just need to open my eyes and ears and heart to them more and let that chord resonate.