My Dad...

Growing up as a child was very happy for me. I had 2 wonderful parents that provided so much for me. I was pretty happy and well adjusted. The only thing that I wished for was that my Dad didn't work so much. I recognized this at a very young age and as the years passed I created my list of what I wanted in a husband and I wanted a husband that would provide for his family, but not a work-a-holic like my Dad.
Many thoughts have been flooding through my mind these days because my Dad is going through a most trying time in his life. He had a bowel obstruction and when they went in to fix it they perforated his bowel in 2 places and didn't catch it until he went into septic shock. He is fighting for his life. I went to see him at the hospital this past weekend and he is looking okay but he has a really long road to recovery. I had a chance to visit with him and he seems in good spirits despite the agonizing pain that he is in. That very same day my cute little brother decided to take us out on his boat for a day of fun. I felt really guilty as we were in the hospital room with my Dad and how he begged us to go boating and have lots of fun while he was stuck in that bed. He told us to go and have fun and report it all the next day when we came to visit. We went and had a tremendous amount of fun but not without some sadness, see, when I was a kid we had a boat and it was so fun for my Dad to take us out on that boat every Saturday during the summer. We had great traditions of pita sandwiches that we would eat for a picnic on the lake. We made sure that we followed the same traditions that we had when I was a kid and let me tell you the pita sandwiches and sour cream and onion pringles never tasted so good! I felt like a kid again.
I love my Dad. He has always been a beacon of light in my life because he has always been there to offer advice and support. He may have been working a lot, but I always knew that my Dad loved/loves me. : )
We came back to see him the next day which happened to be the day that I had to leave and come back to Mesquite, and shared our experience and pictures with him. He smiled from ear to ear because of the happy faces of my kids. He loves them very much. Of course I didn't bring my camera or cell phone to document the fun that was had, but my brother did and I will have to get a copy of those pictures from him to post on here.
I somehow feel that because of the hard work of my Dad, that somehow my life was a little slighted because of his absence in my life at times. In all of this struggle he has finally realized that family is super important and he has decided to retire, as well as my mom, and move here to Mesquite. I now will have the opportunity to enjoy him as much as I can and that we can make up for anytime lost. Please pray for my Dad that his recovery will be swift and that he can get back to his normal self. Thank you so much for reading, and please give your Dad's a big squeeze the next time you see them because life can be so short.