WOW! Again, I just want to say thank you for all of the encouragement and prayers today. This was all very sudden. Dad went to the hospital on Wednesday for what he said were "chest pains." Apparently those "chest pains" were a mild heart attack. They tried to do a catheter yesterday and stopped because there was so much blockage. He looked terrible after surgery but the doctor said he was doing very well. It's hard to see your dad like that, but I am so grateful he made it through.
I realized some things today that maybe I knew before but had forgotten, or maybe I just never knew them - I don't know. Dad's are supposed to be strong. That's what we think. They will be around forever - to be taken for granted and complained about and generally not liked! ;) Dad's are supposed to be old men with white hair who let YOUR kids sit in their lap and pull on their face and say "you smell funny." Dad's are supposed to be superheros who can do no wrong and can beat up your dad.
I learned that dad's are mortal - and precious. They are fragile and impermanent. They are a blessing - no matter how stubborn they may be. They are strong, and superheros - and they will beat up your dad! My dad is a good guy and I love him very much, though I say it very little. My heart hurts today, not like his, but it hurts just the same. It hurts because I have taken my dad for granted, like he will always be here to be griped about and blamed for my bad habits. I stood in that room with my two brothers and lost it. I had to leave. It hurt my heart.
I love my dad - and that is what I learned today.
