Anniversary story: I am sitting with thoughts about dad five years ago when I and my two siblings ministered to him during his final days, up to his last soft breath. It was simply the most poignant and spiritual experience of my life. I would like to share the brief story here though it is intimate. If you are comfortable reading it I am pleased to share it with you. Dad’s health collapsed after weeks of slow recovery from cancer surgery. On the afternoon of 26 January 2010, dad was moved to hospice. Within a couple of hours he had slipped into a slowly deepening “sleep” from which he would never resurface. We were told that he would have maybe a day or two to go. His breathing by then was so labored that it was wrenching and sad for us to watch. His vital signs were slowly degrading. The hospice nurses said that even though he seemed unconscious dad could still hear & understand what we tell him so we continued to talk to him. Lots of tearful moments for me and my brother and sister. Dad’s grand kids called in and the phone was placed at dad’s ear so that they could could say something as well. We spent the night at the hospice facility with dad. In the morning my siblings and I were again with dad who was even deeper in his now perpetual “slumber” state. The hospice nurses tried to move him to clean him and he surprised us all with a loud yell in pain and opened his eyes just slightly for the first time in almost a day. We went and stood by him in the direction of his vague gaze and half-open eyes. I told him that I loved him. We then saw his mouth and tongue move ever so slightly as if to say “I love you too”. I started sobbing. At a silent signal from my brother I put my hand in dad’s open palm and could feel a very slight, tender squeeze from dad on my hand. That feeling will always be with me.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 13:08:15 +0000
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