My Dad

My Dad

I have lived so far from home for so many years that I sometimes wondered if I still really knew my dad.  I always knew that he was friendly and that he truly loved people, but despite this knowledge, I was amazed at the numbers who came out on a very cold winter night to offer condolences and to say good-bye to a dear friend.  There were hundreds: state troopers, highway superintendents, boat club members, coffee club buddies, friends, neighbors, family, and so many of them said the same thing; my dad was a special guy.  He was kind, considerate, generous, always willing to help a friend, patient, calm, and easy going.  He was never a worrier or a complainer.  He knew things would turn out all right.  The pastor described him as having a quiet inner strength.  My mom said that he was a lot like me. That gave me the comfort and peace that I was looking for, to know that a part of him lives on in me.

My dad also loved his family and he would have been pleased to see how this event brought us together again.  He would have been proud to see my older brother hold my mother’s hand throughout the service, offering her comfort and support.  He would have bragged to his friends about how dependable my younger brother has been and about all he has done to keep this family together.  Tears would have filled his eyes as he watched my sister slip in beside me as I went up alone to pay my last respects.   No matter how far apart we may have drifted over the years, we are still family, and family takes care of one another when times are tough.  My dad really believed that.

With state policemen blocking every intersection, the funeral procession traveled unimpeded, carrying my father one last time through the streets of his beloved town.  Time seemed to stand still on this cold winter’s day, and I reflected again on my father’s life.  His stroke had deprived him of his ability to speak clearly and fluently.  Now I imagined him in heaven talking up a storm, catching up with long lost friends.  He had a good life, a full life, made rich by the love he shared with others.  He is at peace now; I am sure of that.  Winter days will remain with us awhile longer as we continue our mourning, but one day we will wake up and realize that spring has come again. 

I extend my deepest thanks to all of you for your prayers, your condolences, and your support during this difficult time for me and all my family.

God bless friends and family