My life changed in a moment on October 17th when I got a call from my mom with some bad news. My father passed away during the night - not expectedly.
He suffered a series of strokes in 2007 and had surgery to clear up his artery just before Christmas. During the surgery it appears that some plaque was dislodged and caused a more severe stroke. He woke up unable to speak or to move his arms and legs. After a few months of rehab, he was able to come home (just in time for Lulu's birthday trip to Disney World). His mobility steadily increased, but never fully returned. He was, however, able to return to his beloved golf. He no longer scored under 90 on his favorite courses, but still did amazingly at around 100.
He grew slightly more fragile as the years went on, but that comes with age and with not fully recovering from the strokes.
The weekend of October 8th, I was suffering from a bad cold, so a planned one night sleepover turned into a two night event with all four of my children. They had the BEST time. The following Wednesday, we found out my dad had the flu. He wasn't feeling all that well, so I called to check in on him a few times.
He missed Lulu's soccer game that next Saturday and was feeling a little worse. Sunday night I spoke with my mom, she was going to take Dad back into the doctor to see how they can help him feel better. Around 11:00 that night, he took a turn for the worse and my mom was in for a traumatic night. He passed away, at home, around 12:15 Monday morning, about 15 minutes before the paramedics arrived.
It doesn't sting quite as severly as it did that first week, but I stil miss him dearly. Wishing I could hug him one more time, tell him I love him one more time, or watch him smile and laugh at my silly children one more time.
I try to hold onto the many wonderful memories I have of him - as a father, a man, and as an amazing grandfather. My children talk of him often, remembering all the fun things they were able to do with him. We still cry, and it still hurts. But I'm glad to have these memories to hold on to.
If you're dad, or mom, are still around. Give them an extra hug tonight. Tell them how much you love. Enjoy each day God gives you with them.
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