We buried Dad today
It's been a while since I've written, and a lot has happened. I've been at Lockton for four months and feel like I am just starting to settle in. My oldest daughter and son-in-law graduated from William Jewell with their bachelor's degrees. Both were accepted to Yale for grad school starting in the fall, EmmaRae with a full ride plus stipend; yes, I'm proud and thrilled. We went on a two week vacation to California, where we saw the giant sequoias, and Napa Valley wine country. And this week, on Wednesday, June 26, 2019, at 5:41am, my Dad passed away after fighting cancer for more than a year.
I've written about my Dad before: about how positive he had been through his fight with cancer. And I can honestly say that even up to his end here on earth, he remained positive. I asked him, as he was lying in a hospital bed wasting away physically, why he was so positive...his answer was the same, "it is what it is", and "being upset or negative won't change anything". Every time a nurse came in to check on him, to take his vitals, or to assist in any way, his response was always the same: "thank you". I was still watching Dad, and you were still teaching by example.
I am utterly heartbroken, in tears as I type this, that my hero, my example, my Dad, the strongest man I've ever known, is gone from here. His last days were not pretty as the cancer took over and did its evil work to his body. Near the end I could see glimpses of him in his eyes, he was still in there in flashes, but his body had been consumed.
And yet through it all, some amazing things happened. Dad told every one of us he loved us, which was not an ordinary occurrence for a tough old coot such as him. And while I'd seen him for years help others, and I'd seen examples of his faith in Christ, I never heard him verbalize it until this week. So, through my tears, I am encouraged that I will see him again. He will be healthy and happy, no more pain.
Today, I pray, he is looking down on us as he pets one of his prized bird dogs who went before him, and is satisfied in the legacy he left.
I'll leave you with an interview of my Dad that was done one year ago, on June 13, 2018, click here.
I'll also leave a few songs that I've been listening to by Hillsong United: "This I believe", "Oceans", and "So will I".
I love you Dad, and I miss you terribly.
I've written about my Dad before: about how positive he had been through his fight with cancer. And I can honestly say that even up to his end here on earth, he remained positive. I asked him, as he was lying in a hospital bed wasting away physically, why he was so positive...his answer was the same, "it is what it is", and "being upset or negative won't change anything". Every time a nurse came in to check on him, to take his vitals, or to assist in any way, his response was always the same: "thank you". I was still watching Dad, and you were still teaching by example.
I am utterly heartbroken, in tears as I type this, that my hero, my example, my Dad, the strongest man I've ever known, is gone from here. His last days were not pretty as the cancer took over and did its evil work to his body. Near the end I could see glimpses of him in his eyes, he was still in there in flashes, but his body had been consumed.
And yet through it all, some amazing things happened. Dad told every one of us he loved us, which was not an ordinary occurrence for a tough old coot such as him. And while I'd seen him for years help others, and I'd seen examples of his faith in Christ, I never heard him verbalize it until this week. So, through my tears, I am encouraged that I will see him again. He will be healthy and happy, no more pain.
Today, I pray, he is looking down on us as he pets one of his prized bird dogs who went before him, and is satisfied in the legacy he left.
I'll leave you with an interview of my Dad that was done one year ago, on June 13, 2018, click here.
I'll also leave a few songs that I've been listening to by Hillsong United: "This I believe", "Oceans", and "So will I".
I love you Dad, and I miss you terribly.
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