My Dad
Hey everyone. I just wanted to write and say thank you. Thank you for writing. For calling. For flowers. For praying. For being there even if you weren't able to be there. It meant more than I will ever be able to express. I know a lot of you never met my Dad and I wish I had the time to give you a worthy account of his life because there are a million stories I could tell of him. But, I'll just tell you this one:
My Dad had a severe heart attack sixteen years ago that left him in a coma for months with doctors saying he wouldn't make it. And in that time, we got to see what the world thought of my Father. And it thought the world of him. Family flew in instantly. People swooped in from the woodworks-strangers to us and friends of my Father's. We had more food than we could eat and more flowers than we knew what to do with. We were surrounded by this huge circle of warmth that my Father was the center of.
And when my Dad finally recovered he told his sister that he had seen that light and that he saw their mother and she said to him, "Forrest, what are you doing? Go back. Your kids need you." And he did. He worked through darkness and woke again. He relearned everything. How to walk. How to drive. Before the heart attack, he had racked almost twenty years in the navy-the last four in the field of nuclear biology. But, the lack of oxygen to his brain, had given him short term memory loss. He wasn't able to grab thoughts as quickly. He moved slower and had to constantly write things down to remember them. But still, he was there for everything. He saw birthdays. He saw graduations. He saw a marriage. He saw two grandchildren. He saw us grow up. And really, what more can you ask of a Father? He came back for us. He came back and gave us sixteen incredible years.
So yeah, it's not an easy thing to understand. I know this is going to take time. But, I'm getting through with my family. And I'm all right. The thing is I have been to funerals and wakes-known people who have passed on before. But, this is the first time that I can, in all honesty, say that I feel someone's presence and, in the midst of all this weirdness, that feeling is so warm. So, I know he's with me and my family. And for those of you who've never met my father, know that you have. If you've ever seen me smile. If you've ever seen me laugh. He's there. He's always been part of that.
Thank you again for everything. Please feel free to write or call me. Ruth and I are both back in Chicago now. I'd love to hear any or all of your voices. My phone number is 773-574-0911 and my email is in the 'from' section of this email. I'll try to get back to you as quick as possible. I promise.
All My Love And Gratitude,
Shane
My Dad had a severe heart attack sixteen years ago that left him in a coma for months with doctors saying he wouldn't make it. And in that time, we got to see what the world thought of my Father. And it thought the world of him. Family flew in instantly. People swooped in from the woodworks-strangers to us and friends of my Father's. We had more food than we could eat and more flowers than we knew what to do with. We were surrounded by this huge circle of warmth that my Father was the center of.
And when my Dad finally recovered he told his sister that he had seen that light and that he saw their mother and she said to him, "Forrest, what are you doing? Go back. Your kids need you." And he did. He worked through darkness and woke again. He relearned everything. How to walk. How to drive. Before the heart attack, he had racked almost twenty years in the navy-the last four in the field of nuclear biology. But, the lack of oxygen to his brain, had given him short term memory loss. He wasn't able to grab thoughts as quickly. He moved slower and had to constantly write things down to remember them. But still, he was there for everything. He saw birthdays. He saw graduations. He saw a marriage. He saw two grandchildren. He saw us grow up. And really, what more can you ask of a Father? He came back for us. He came back and gave us sixteen incredible years.
So yeah, it's not an easy thing to understand. I know this is going to take time. But, I'm getting through with my family. And I'm all right. The thing is I have been to funerals and wakes-known people who have passed on before. But, this is the first time that I can, in all honesty, say that I feel someone's presence and, in the midst of all this weirdness, that feeling is so warm. So, I know he's with me and my family. And for those of you who've never met my father, know that you have. If you've ever seen me smile. If you've ever seen me laugh. He's there. He's always been part of that.
Thank you again for everything. Please feel free to write or call me. Ruth and I are both back in Chicago now. I'd love to hear any or all of your voices. My phone number is 773-574-0911 and my email is in the 'from' section of this email. I'll try to get back to you as quick as possible. I promise.
All My Love And Gratitude,
Shane
posted by Mrs. Myrtle Standich at 10:22 AM
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