Dad

Most of my friends that read this know that I recently lost my Dad. He had just celebrated his 79th birthday on Nov 2nd. He left this world on Nov 11th in the wee hours of the morning. My dad had been ill for about two years and just grew weary and tired of his fight. And what a fight he put up. He had emergency surgery almost two years ago to the day. Back then, no doctor gave him a chance to ever leave the hospital. He was to sick, to ill to recover. But he did. Doctors and nurses were amazed. He was a strong man. And that's the way I remember him. When I was a little boy I thought nothing was impossible for my dad. He could fix anything. He knew everything. When I would have a bad dream in the middle of the night I would go in his and mom's room and try to quietly climb into bed with them. I remember thinking how nothing could harm me as I was laying against his back. As I grew up I remember thinking that dad was to hard on me, making me work around the farm. The list of chores got longer as I got older and I was envious of my friends who lived in town that didn't have the chores that I did. Thank you dad for making me get up and get to it. My dad loved people and always had a smile for and a story to tell someone. He could and would strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere. We never ate in a restaurant without dad harassing the help. I would feel so bad for the poor waitresses who ended up with our table. Dad did it all in good nature of course and by the end of the meal most of the women were laughing right along with him and us. Most of them would. I do remember a few that looked like they were about ready to explode and I would whisper to him that he better back off a little cause the poor woman's top was about to blow. Dad loved to travel and him and my mom did a lot of it. First they did it with my three older siblings, then 10 years later it was me and my younger sister Kimberly's turn. Dad had a slide in camper and we took more trips in that thing then we can remember. We always seemed to squeeze in a trip to Florida during the summer while me and my sis were out of school and me and Kim would always beg for a day at Disney. I have fond memories of being at the Magic Kingdom with my parents and Kim. Dad worked hard and made us work hard to but he always made sure we had time together to play as well. He instilled a strong work ethic in all 5 of his children and he always provided for us, placing our needs above his own. He and my mother were married for 57 years. 57 years! Sadly, that's a rarity now a days. He loved his wife and my mother with a passion. But above all of this, my dad loved his lord and savior. He never hesitated to tell whoever he could about Gods love for us and he sending his one and only son down here from heaven to die for us so that we could spend eternity with him. Many lives were touched by dads kindness and his testimony of Gods love for us. One of the things that used to really amaze me about dad was his ability to forgive. Long ago, my dads parents were brutally murdered by someone who lived down the road from them. They all knew the person that did it and that person is still serving his sentence in jail. I remember talking about it with dad several years back and I asked dad how could he deal with the trauma of what that man did to his parents. He just simply said he had come to forgive the guy for what he did. I didn't understand then how anyone could forgive someone of something like that but I understand it now. If we hold hatred and anger in our hearts and don't forgive then it destroys us from the inside out. Plus Jesus tells us that if he is to forgive us then we must likewise forgive. I now understand what dad meant. We don't have to like it or say it was okay what that person did, we just have to release it and let it go. I get it now Dad. Dad was at home when he passed away. My sister Kimberly and my niece Rachel Cartwright were there that night and they were awakened by dad coughing and gasping. He told them that his time was almost up and the fight was about over. Kimberly told him that it was okay and he should just go and join his mother who was waiting for him in heaven. They asked him if they could pray with him and dad said yes and about thirty seconds later he smiled and he was gone. Gone only from this world though. We know he is with his mom and dad and his two brothers and two sisters who had gone on before him. His faith was unshakable and he's receiving his rewards. He ran the race and he finished it in full stride. I only hope I can turn out to be half the man he was. I love you Dad and you are missed dearly but I'll see you again one day. And what a glorious day that will be.