Qnother Day

Today has started to be a “not so good “ day. Daddy has slept most of the day and isn’t eating. The fact that he isn’t eating is noteworthy since he has always eaten three meals and three snacks a day for most of his life. Today it has been nothing but banana pudding and ice pops. His blood pressure has dropped, respiration is shallow and there is very little communication. Judy, the Hospice nurse, came by and wasn’ t able rouse him. Not even a Cherry LimeAde from Sonic was enough to get him to open his eyes.
I understand that each day we get closer to the end of this life and the beginning of another for all of us. In looking at the letters and cards from people whose lives he had touched I am warmed by the feelings that are conveyed. He was my teacher, too. He was also my biggest critic demanding perfection that I was unable to attain. I saw him as a cool, distant stranger who lived in our house until I was 14 years old. That was the relationship, or lack thereof, that I had with my father for many years. I tried to please and failed.
The big change came after I was an adult. We became friends as well as father and daughter. My sister and I have been given an opportunity to care for our father as he leaves this life and starts the next. She has told him that we will hold his hand as long as we can on this journey until he takes the hand that is reaching out to take him to the other side.