(no subject)
The best Churchill quote I've experienced, "If you're going through hell, keep walking". Well said, Sir Winston, well said...
I'm sure there are adequate and more eloquent words written by beings with abilities that far surpass my meager means. All I can do is try.
Had a visit from my dad at the end of October just last year. Their home is a mere few steps on the northern end of my own, so the visit in and of itself wasn't a huge surprise, but the intent was. He came in and sat down at the bar that he'd made for me and said he needed to let me know he'd been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer of the lungs, liver and kidneys. We'd all noticed gradual changes in his health over the years but I have to be honest, I wasn't prepared. His voice had almost become a hoarse whisper the last few weeks and we'd attributed this to the progression of his smoking related COPD. Mom, after much and many discussions, convinced him to see his doctor, which of course he hadn't visited in over 2 years. A few x-rays later and voila~ He told me he'd known something was wrong over the last couple of years but said he really didn't want to know. Ignorance isn't always bliss. He knew. Said he'd already decided and was not going to go through the treatments as he knew they couldn't do anything other than make his remaining time more miserable than it had to be. We talked for a few minutes and I'll always remember when he said, "It's gonna be okay..." My soul screamed back at him silently, no, dad, it's not gonna be okay, forever.
When he left, and not a second before, emotions increased the swell and the rain fell because after all, he was gravity and the center of our universe. So began the journey that we've all been on for the last 6 months. As the seasons changed, so did we.
to be continued...