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He
Was Really There
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Early this year, my father learned he had liver cancer. During his battle with it, he became weak and frail, and he barely ate a thing. He went through chemotherapy, but it only seemed to make his condition worse. My family and I did not expect him to die. But only three months later—one month after he turned 80—we lost him.  My dad worked every day of his
life up until his last month here on earth. He was a strong, proud man,
always taking care of everyone else before himself. On the day he died,
the hospital called and told us his body was shutting down and that he would
go soon. We went into shock at the news. We didn't want to believe that
our strong, capable dad wasn't going to make it this time through.My entire family rushed to the
hospital. We didn't want him to die alone. But with delays from street lights
and sluggish elevators, we we didn't arrive soon enough. By the time we
reached his hospital room, the nurse had removed his I.V.s. "I'm sorry,"
she said, "he is gone."I thought perhaps Dad had not
wanted us to see him die because of his pride. Maybe that's why the traffic
lights and delays had kept us from getting to him. My sister screamed, "No!
No! No!" and threw herself on top of him. She just held him and cried so
hard. I was in complete shock and denial, but something drew my eyes up
into the corner of the room. And there I saw my dad! He looked the way he
used to when I was a little girl—very strong and handsome. He had his
arms crossed and though he didn't exactly speak the words, I heard a clear
message from him. He was saying, "Don't let her do this. Hold her, and let
her know it's okay." At first I thought I was losing my mind! But he was
really there. I couldn't doubt it.The
day after my dad's funeral, his sister died. She was 81 and had been fighting
heart problems and stomach cancer for over a year. When she and my dad were
little, they were foster children tossed from home to home. They made a
pact that they would never leave each other, and they always remained close.
Her death so soon after Dad's was really no coincidence. But like a loving
big sister, she waited for him to pass and have his glory with his military
funeral. Then it was her turn. They wouldn't be separated in life or in
death.On the day Dad passed away, and
in the same hospital, his great-neice brought a new baby boy into this life.
Like they say, "one life comes in while another life goes out." I just thought
I would share my story and say that I love and miss my dad dearly. I hope
one day I'll see him again.  Nanci J. Volz |
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Copyright
© 1992-2000 by Betty J. Eadie |
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