It’s been a long journey that started with a promise to both my Mother & Father that they would never step foot in a assisted living facility and would live their lives out at home with me at their side. The first half of that promise was honored in the fall of ’18 till Jan 2, 2019 when Mom passed at their home on my farm with us at her side.
Just two week shy of 5 years of caring for my Father has come to the end of this journey. March 12, 2020 he became house ridden and was reduced from independence to in the house with a walker and limited mobility. As the needs steadily increased so did the time I spent here. 3 days a week to start, going to 5 days and driving 200 plus miles a day for work. Eventually home office at the farm and with him 24/7 for the last year and a half. About a month ago his dementia got really bad and every night was an adventure of needing to get him home from a place on the Colorado front plains. Super strange because that stuborn ole mule was hard core on “Don’t you ever take me west of the Mississippi again…. Nastiest F’n desert and I don’t how anyone could live in that sh!thole…” Obviously a place he didn’t want to be at. After many nights, I realized home wasn’t here at the farm. It was at the cemetery in Racine where my Mother is laid to rest. Feb 25. 2025 Dad’s wishes were honored. Here at home, with me sitting at his side, nd the ashes of his 4 previous dogs under his arms he peacefully passed and joined his wife.
I can not emphasize enough gratitude and appreciation for the core dot of family and friends I have. I have tried to reach out and talk to everyone and express how thankful I am. It was the support of my wife having me gone for 5 years 120 miles away and only seeing each other a day or two every 2 to 3 weeks. It was my daughters giving me a break when they could. It was my friends stopping in, calling, and somehow just knowing exactly when I needed some sanity. It was the collective effort that WE helped my Father to to complete this journey. I know and understand that I did not do this alone. Yet so many think they did nothing, and yes, they were just doing what they do – being a true friend.
No regrets – not 1 minute or second of this. Like a dang Hallmark scripted movie. Nothing was left unsaid & every opportunity to convey the love and appreciation I have for my Father and best friend was made. I move on with the love, work ethics, honesty, and integrity that he taught me through the examples he set for me in his life. I hold a lifetime abundance of memories that I am privileged to have and the honor of watching my daughters grow into their own with the same level of integrity my Father has.
Dad, enjoy being reunited with mom. I am honored to be your son and forever grateful for the life you taught me to lead. Love and miss ya already.
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