"You Girls"

On the fourth of July, Susi and I left early to get a prized camping spot at Point Reyes, CA. Ron and Craig were coming up after work. We had the three boys, 1,2, and 3 years old at the time. We were exhausted when we finally got everything set up and sat down with a glass of wine to watch the boys romp around the campsite. Then we started a fire and had dinner waiting for the guys to arrive. It was going to be a terrific weekend!

When Ron got in about 8 P.M. that night, he brought terrible news with him. My mom called and told him they found out my dad had lung cancer. After talking to my mom on the phone myself, we all got busy packing up. We drove back the 2 hours to our house, packed up the boys, and Susi and I hit the road. It was an all night drive to get to my parents' house. Luckily, the boys slept the whole way.

Driving up to my parents' house, we saw my dad standing out by the fence peacefully watering his garden. He looked up and smiled. “You girls, you girls!” he said.

My mom and dad were stunned that we were actually there. They had just talked to us, and we were in Point Reyes, just north of San Fransisco, camping. But here we were. There was no way we were not going to be there to help my parents handle this heartbreaking news.

My sister lives next door to my parents, so with our arrival the whole family was together to move forward with Dad’s health issues.

My dad hung on until the end of February the next year. My 3 boys and I made many more trips to AZ to visit my dad and spend time with this man that was such an important part of my life and my heart. All the hard times we went through during those months were made sweet with laughter and sharing with our family.

But 1 of my fondest memories of my dad ever was him simply standing there with a hose in his hand, watering his cherished garden that July morning. The love in his eyes as he looked up and saw us pull in the driveway. I know he knew how much he meant to us that day. It was worth every mile we drove that night to see the warm expression in his tearfilled blue eyes.

In Him,
Joyful
2-2-2010