RtoL: Uncle Richie,Aunt Gerald,Aunt Betty, My Dad!
note: only Aunt Betty is alive
Matt. 8: 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye
of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there
was a great calm.
The Call Came…
Let me say first, if you have recently lost a beloved soul,
read no further as I don’t want you tearing up and opening old wounds. God be
with you.
The call came last night after we had just finished watching
Casper. Poignant lines rang throughout the movie such as:
Kat: What's it like to die?
Casper: Like... being born, only backwards. I remember, I
didn't go where I was supposed to go. I just stayed behind, so my dad wouldn't
be lonely.
Amelia Harvey: James, I know you have been searching for me,
but there's something you must understand. You and Kat loved me so well when I
was alive that I have no unfinished business, please don't let me be yours.
Kat: “My mom. Just certain things. The sound of her making
breakfast downstairs. The way she'd put on her lipstick, so carefully. I do
remember, she always used Ivory soap, and when she'd hug me, I'd breathe her
in, so deep. And I remember before I'd go to sleep she'd whisper in my ear,
"stardust in the eyes, rosy cheeks, and a happy girl in the morning."
This brought memories flooding back; like my dad wearing Old
Spice, his favorite cologne; after Bethlehem Steel closed down him and I spent
many mornings home and he’d often make his famous Omelet, never leaving the
fresh vegetables and dashes of this and that out; the aroma of the kitchen
while said breakfast was being cooked but most of all I remember his tight hugs
where puffs of cologne would kiss my cheek.
After the movie ended my mother called. This was one of our
nightly calls when she got home from the hospital where she would tell me how
my father was this day and I’d remind her to take her medicine. My dad wasn’t
good this day. He slept through my mother, sister, brothers and aunt who were
visiting. His hand would twitch, his toes would move and he squeezed my
mothers’ hand as she whispered memories to him. She told him she would be okay
and that it would be okay if he passed. Her last words to him were, instead of
I’ll see you tomorrow, “I’ll see ya when I get to heaven.”
Everyone left the room and the halls fell silent as visiting
hours were over. She went home and called me. She was finally eating some food
and sounding like her old self (no, not with her mouth full), feeling not so
sad and just trying to make peace with letting go of the man she adored for
sixty years. I didn’t cry too much and tried so hard to stay stoic and in
charge of my being. I again reminded her to take her medicine; we said our ‘I
love you’ and I told her to call me if anything happened. She was exhausted.
I don’t even think 20 minutes passed when the phone rang
again. I said, “There’s the call.” I knew who and what it was going to be and
sure enough it was my mother in tears, pain leaking through the phone like a
raining night and a hole in the umbrella. She told me how she had just laid
down and was falling asleep when she felt someone touch her foot, she jumped
and the phone rang with the devastating news of her husband, her best friend,
had passed away. I guess that was my dads way of saying goodbye to her.
She made the necessary calls, me being one of them. I then
called my brother, then my mother called again. We sat on the phone until 11:30 est. time when she said she wanted to rest. She just wanted to be alone; alone
with her thoughts. I understood but I didn’t want to let her go. I wanted to be
there hugging her tightly and NEVER let her go.
It’s been a long road my dads illness, and the last two
weeks of him wanting to go home but the doctor not allowing it have been
agonizing pain for all involved but I felt a blessed comfort wash over me when
I knew, the call came…he was called HOME!
Be at peace, Dad…inhale the breath of heaven.
Psalm 23:1-6 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me
beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they
comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
3 comments:
Saying goodbye to loved ones is so difficult. Not having the chance to say goodbye is something that haunts me to this day. I pray that your family can find peace in the knowledge that he is no longer suffering. His has ended, yours has a ways to go. But perhaps now you can start to heal. It will take time, lots of time. You will go through many stages, sometimes more than once for each one, and sometimes several stages of grief will blast you out of your shoes for a short time. When time has passed, you will know when, create a memorial of some sort in his name. This can be something as simple as planting a tree or bush, creating a scholarship, a Facebook page, or in your case, writing your poetry, which is always beautiful and meaningful. Put your feelings down on paper. It is very cathartic. You don't have to share it with anyone, you can write it then destroy it. But get those emotions out so they don't create problems inside. God be with you, hold you in His loving arms, and give you peace and understanding. Hugs.
*HUGS!* Dad's at peace, and now Mom can go on, and so can you. *HUG!* <3
Thank you both. No one ever knows just what to say at a time like this but your thinking of me and comforting is the best thing for me right now.
My dad's funeral will be on Wednesday, the hardest day of my mother's life.
I won't be there so it will also be the hardest day of MY life.
We can both go on... easier said than done. :(
Time
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