Some stories do not have what we would call a happy end and this is one of them. Death is a part of life and we all need to face it, sooner or later. While we can’t control death, we can choose the way we live our lives and make every moment we spend with our loved ones feel special and precious.
Norbert’s last wish
Norbert Schemm, an 87-year-old native of Appleton, Wisconsin, was in the terminal stage of colon cancer and wanted to spend one of his last precious moments on Earth drinking beer with his sons.
Norbert’s grandson, Adam, shared a heartbreaking photo on Twitter, showing his granddad in the hospital, surrounded by his sons as they hold beer bottles and smile, despite the realization that these were some of the last moments they were going to share together.
The photo has gone viral since it has been posted earlier this month.
“That moment meant so much to my grandfather,” Schemm’s grandson Adam told the media. “You can tell they all know what’s gonna happen, and they just want to enjoy being together. They all have this look of closure.”
Day after the photo has been taken, Norbert passed away, knowing he was surrounded by people who love him and would forever keep him in their hearts. Norbert, who was married to his wife for 65 years, took great comfort in the fact she would be cared for by their grandchildren.
“It was the last 90 minutes that they really had him,” Adam Schemm said. “They drank beer and talked about family and he made everyone promise to take care of my grandmother. They were married for 65 years.”
A sad but inspiring story which prompted other Twitter users to share their own stories
Adam admitted he was initially hesitant to share the story on Twitter but was positively surprised by the feedback it garnered on Twitter. It’s been retweeted more than 30,000 times since Adam posted it. Several Twitter users shared their own stories of how they spend their last moments with their loved ones.
“Did the same thing with my Dad in May,” wrote one user. “Cold beer and a Yankee game. My condolences.”
Every moment we spend with our loved ones is precious
Daily concerns and all other realities of modern living often make us forget about the really important things: spending quality time with our friends and family. Only when something bad happens, like an illness or an accident, we realize how fragile life is and how important our loved ones are to us. We shouldn’t wait for death to knock on our door to start appreciating the time we spend with the people we love.
Norbert spent his last moments in the company of his family and we can only hope to be as fortunate as him when the time of our passing comes. In the meantime, we should make the most of the time we have and tell our loved ones how lucky we are to have them in our lives.
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