As our parents age it is no surprise that their health will decline. On Labor Day my mom had her usual cook out with family for the last day of "Summer." This past year my parents celebrated their 60th anniversary on Labor Day and had a cake, which would actually happen a couple days later. The very next morning life would change.
Mom couldn't get Dad up so she had him taken to the hospital. He had a UTI but it was so bad that they told the family he would not live. I booked a flight on that Saturday and flew in, hoping he would last through the flight till I arrived. All my siblings, except my brother in England, and several of their family members were in the room when I got there. I was able to share Scripture with Dad and then we all sang a few songs to him. We all were in choir when in school so we really sounded good.
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Dad seemed to know who I was |
Dad was not ready to pass into eternity, and though they had stopped feeding and hydrating him, the Monday after I arrived my brother and I got him back on food and water. He was then transferred to a nursing home. The weather was still warm and beautiful so I took Dad outside for some fresh air. He seemed to do well after a little adjustment time (getting out of bed and even falling).
While I was there my brother and sister-in-law took me to a football game at our alma mater, Lutheran West. It was great to be back there and I even bumped into some people that I knew, including my sister's husband Woody. What are the chances?!
I even got a chance to meet up with my aunties, who are my mom's sisters. One lives in town but one lives in Arizona and happened to be in town. She extended her stay for a week since we initially thought we would be having a funeral. She also came to church with us Sunday.
I don't know how long God has planned for my father to live on this earth, but he will be 90 years old in August. I am grateful for the opportunity to have visited and thank God for a father who is so godly.