father. He wanted to take a trip to see a friend who goes away for the winter.
Because of his advanced age, it was not possible for him to go alone although
he intended to do so. My siblings and I were very concerned about his plans,
and so I offered to go along with him on the trip. Frankly, I manipulated my
way on the trip.
from the Greatest Generation and while he has never been an emotional man, he’s
been a good father and was a faithful husband to my mom during their 63 year
marriage. He loved her to the day she died and he’s not been quite the same
since.
hard. He cared for our home and yard between golfing and his other sporting
activities.
know everything. An avid reader, he
was able to tell me anything I needed to know. He could fix anything that
broke, and he only needed a pattern to make something we needed. It is from him
that I developed my love for history, museums, and nature. I wish I had
appreciated it more when I was young.
demanded obedience, in retrospect he was desperately trying to reign in a
rebellious girl in a world and society that was changing faster than he could
keep up with.
more when I was young.
steady on his feet and frequently loses his balance. In spite of this, he still
bowls and dances. He can’t hear well, even with 2 hearing aids so he misses
most of what is going on around him. Never one for small talk, he spends large
blocks of time in silence. He dozes off-
a lot.
and now everything has a label. He can’t be left alone for an entire day. He
can tell you a story from WWII or his early life but he gets easily confused
and forgets what happened thirty minutes ago.
trip. There are sparks of the dad I knew, but overall, he is feeble and
it is clear he doesn’t have many more years of independent or even assisted
living left.
the sound echoes throughout the land.
Beautifully said. I have been on this side of it and as I approach the 50 year mark, I see the other side that awaits for me to take my turn as the falling/en.
Beautifully said!