My Father, My Friend

I have heard it said that Alzheimer's is "the long goodbye".  Ain't that the truth.  On Wednesday February 2nd my father passed away after a 5 year struggle with this horrible and most selfish disease.

At the funeral guest were asked to share their thoughts or memories of my dad.  Words like "kind", "generous", "funny", "fair" and "proud" were repeated over and over.  Yes, it was a funeral and it was sad but there were plenty of laughs, too.  There had been some great times and it was nice to hear so many stories.  I miss my dad but the truth is, I said goodbye a very long time ago.

My daughters held up fairly well.  My dad was their "poppy".  You could have a conversation with my dad about any subject under the sun and it wouldn't take long for him to work in something about his granddaughters.

Mom is doing ok too.  In March it would have been 61 years of marriage.  They were in the same nursing home together and she got a chance to see him almost everyday.  We had prepared her when we realized the seriousness of his illness but you can never really be prepared for the finality.

I also got a chance to catch up with friends and family that I haven't seen in quite some time.  We shouldn't wait for funerals to catch up with the people we care about.  We have already started planning a reunion from "the old neighborhood".

Good bye, Pop.  Until we meet again!