The Magic of Christmas ~ Day 2

Today ~ I Remember a great man

You may wonder what this could possibly have to do with the magic. I remember being a little girl and the feeling of excitement and anticipation for Santa to come...Well... This wonderful man along with my sweet mom were the ones that taught me what the real magic of the season is. I will forever be grateful to them for that belief.

My Hero ~ My Biggest Fan ~  My Dad

I really can't believe he has been gone 8 years. I miss him so much and still think of him every day.

He was such a great man and was loved by so many.

I can still hear his voice telling me over the phone " Ya know that road that goes between your house and mine is a 2 way street" That always made me smile and still does.

My Dad and Mom taught all of their children how to love and that what was truly important in life was family. I could not have asked for a better man to be my daddy.

I will never forget the day I got the call from the Hospice nurse saying he was not doing well and I needed to get down there as quickly as possible. I was sitting at my desk at work, and as the tears began rolling down my cheeks, there was such a feeling of panic and dread that came over me I could barely speak.

I had to wait for someone to get to my office to take over before I could leave. That 30 minutes seemed to go on forever. I just wanted to get to him. To tell him I loved him one more time before it was too late!!

I did make it there and was told that we had to move him to a nursing home because my *&%!! of a step mother was adamant about the fact that he was NOT going to die in her house. I still have a hard time believing how cold hearted this woman turned out to be.

We found a nursing home close by and tenderly loaded my weak and confused daddy up in the car. I rode in the backseat with him and held his hand as we drove him to the place that he would spend the last precious hours of his life. He was very upset when he saw where we were taking him and made it very well known that he did NOT want to be there!

The Hospice caregivers were so wonderful. They did everything in their power to make sure he was comfortable. My sister spent the night with him so he would not be alone and told me later that he had said that "Mom and Jeanette (my sister that passed away) were there for him"  He didn't go though, he continued to hang on like he was waiting for just the right time.

 I headed back down the second I woke up the next morning. When I walked into his room, he was sleeping. I remember thinking he looked to small in that bed. He was laying on his side facing the wall. The next thing I noticed was that he seemed to be breathing easier than he had in years. I sat with him just holding his hand and one by one my brothers and sisters that lived in the area arrived.

We had a meeting with the hospice team and they told us what to expect to see happen as he made his transition from this world. We were told that one of the last things to go as his body began shutting down would be his hearing. They said for each of us to take a turn to say our goodbyes and let him know it was OK to go.  We were to call those that couldn't be there and let them do the same.

When it was finally my turn and I walked into that quiet room..I was able to pour my heart out to this man...My dad..and as I did he gave my hand a very gentle squeeze. Although his eyes never opened that day and he never spoke, I know he heard everything that was going on around him. It was so hard to tell him goodbye but I am so grateful that I had that opportunity. I didn't get that with my mom. He continued to hang on while everyone said their good byes and waited until the last grandchild came into the room before he left to join my beautiful mom and sister. It was such an emotional and beautiful moment. He just slipped peacefully away surrounded by Love!! It was a moment I will treasure my entire life.

LOVE YOU DAD!!

~ Until we meet again ~