Dad

June 4, 2009


DAD


The words pierced the end of a very busy day
....bringing a rush of emotion, shock, energy and sadness with them.

"Your Dad is gone."

He had just slept his way into eternity.

For a long time he had not wanted to eat, and had resisted attempts to do so artificially.
He was down to 95 pounds, almost the same number as his age.
And he was the record holder for longevity in the family.
The last of his many lifetime goals to be achieved.

He made it.

And now, he really made it...
into the presence of God forever.

At the very end...the creeping finality of it all was affecting everything, but he "woke" one more time, long enough to recognize Mary Ellen, his dear wife, he greeted her...
and smiled playfully at her.
Then he lay back and within a short time was "gone."

Way to go, Dad.
You finished strong.
You tied up the pieces.
You ended with a smile....
And your peace, a gift from walking right with God,
put a finishing touch to your faith...and ours.

You crossed the line trusting fully.

You crossed the line smiling broadly, playfully.

You joined the patriarchs of old who
"breathed their last,
"pulled up their legs,
or just were "gathered to their fathers
....and finished in peace and full of faith.

We will miss you.

Oh, you have been diminishing for years....
But we will still miss what remained to the end.

The little jokes
...sometimes even too far! :)
The words of kindness
..."I'm proud of you, son. You're my only boy, you know."
The over-and-over stories
- the big events of our lives. You kept those in place.
The constant invitation to "come and see us."

And I cherish the memories...
*of sweat dripping off the end of your tie...preaching so hard in summer campmeetings.
*of the overloaded 20' canoe...and we didn't even quite know where we were going
*of the huge storm on Lake LaRonge...and mother's brief and imploring prayers
*of pants hitched with forarms - displaying coal dusted hands.
*of new chrome-blessed cars...had to have fins, and power
*of music, and teaching, and hard, hard work.
Saskatoon, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa....the world.

On tough days, I think I am pretty close behind you.

On good days, though, I know I have a long way to go.

And you have shown me a lot about finishing well.

See you again
....in His time
....then it will be forever.

I love you.

David.