It Was Hard To Drive Away

This past week we drove to Youngsville, North Carolina (Raleigh-Durham), to spend Thanksgiving with my parents and my sister and brother-in-law. We had great trips both going and coming. Our 3 teenagers even got along, for the most part.

My dad is 92 years old, very hard of hearing and getting very feeble. While it was a joy to be with him, it is hard to hold much of a conversation. One evening, however, all of us, together, spent some time in his bedroom. It was a fun, reminiscing time, and I'm glad that our children had a chance to spend the time with their grandfather. It was great to look at old photos and think about different times.

My mother is a saint. She, along with my brother-in-law, Terry, are the primary care givers for my dad. He needs almost everything done for him. On Friday night, he slipped out of his wheel chair on the way to the bathroom and I had to help my mom pick him up. She doesn't have enough strength to do what she does, but she does it anyway. I have never heard her complain about having to take care of my dad. Hospice care is involved now, and it is a tremendous help. Terry and Lila are incredible. There care for my dad is amazing.

My sister, Lila, and mom cooked a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. My sister is a vegan, and fixed several vegan dishes. The vegan turkey and stuffing was pretty good. We all enjoyed trying the various dishes and enjoyed all the traditional Thanksgiving food. It was good to have my dad at the table. Earlier in the week he was too weak to get out of bed. Later, my mom had to give him some morphine to help with extreme pain. He is struggling with congestive heart failure and it's starting to get the best of him.

On Friday we toured historical Wake Forrest and drove into Raleigh. We had a great time sightseeing.

On Saturday afternoon we said our goodbyes. I was emotionally overwhelmed as I said goodbye to my dad. I think I knew deep in my heart that this was my last goodbye before we see each other in heaven. For many miles I reminisced about my dad, the things he taught me, and the things I learned by just observing his life. You don't get parents any better than mine. This time together just reinforced that for me. On 6/18/2008 I wrote a blog titled Don't Forget To Sweep the Street. This was my dad at his best. It's worth searching for and reading.