#22 - Dad

Thankful Challenge #22 - One year ago today (which was also Thanksgiving Day) I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing at 6:45 a.m.  Little did I know that that ring would forever signal to me before...and after.  Although we didn't know it at the time my dad had suffered a spontaneous spinal hemorrhage that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Likely a result from a mass in his aorta, the hemorrhage signaled the beginning of the end for Dad. Over the next eight months Dad would suffer tremendously as he endured countless complications and symptoms that never had a definitive diagnosis.  At the end, we all felt (doctors included) that he probably had some type of cancer.  When it was suggested to run yet some more tests last summer to try and determine the cause of his steady decline, Dad decided he had enough.  He knew that even if he "got well" a full recovery was far from possible.

And so, I watched the man who loved me first leave this world.  I had the privilege of standing by his beside as he drew his last breath.  At the time I was struck with how very blessed I was to have him for a father, and that overwhelming sense of thankfulness has remained with me for these 3 1/2 months since he died. While I will always wish I had more time with him and look forward to the day I hear his voice again, I also know that having a dad like him was a gift.  So many people in this world never have someone in their life like him.

Dad taught me countless lessons, and I attribute so much of the person I am today to his influence in my life. I remember several years ago Dad talking about his dad with tears in his eyes.  He said to me, "Every time I needed him he was right there.  There was never a time that I needed him that he wasn't there.  That's the kind of Dad I've tried to be to you." You were, Dad.  You were.

Just a couple of weeks before he died, I asked Dad how he had managed to stay so positive - hopeful even - in the midst of all that had happened to him.  He wasn't angry, and he kept his sense of humor and his kindness to the very end.  He explained, "You know Brooke, everyone likes to think that they are brave and strong.  It's easy to believe that when things are going well. I'm just getting the chance to prove it."  

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for Dad.

As a college professor who began his schooling in a one room schoolhouse, Dad valued education tremendously.
I am so glad I had the opportunity to share my graduation from my graduate program with him and Mom!