Goodbye, Opa.

Thanks everyone, for all your best wishes and support over the past month.  As I've said to many of you, this is a very difficult road to walk.  But you have to walk it; you can't take a shortcut, or delegate your steps.

That being said, I've been incredibly fortunate to have so many wonderful people guide and support me along the way.  Edward, who has been my absolute rock; Martin and Andrea, Ryan and Cristina who freely gave their evenings so that Edward and I could go to the hospital to visit my father; Jane and Gillian who provided a sympathetic ear, hugs and entertainment for a bevy of children; Myriam, who valiantly kept the house and children in one piece through the turmoil and uncertainty; everyone who visited my father, sent e-mails, phone calls and  thoughts and prayers our way.  It is a sad and exhausting road, but your compassion and care made me feel that we were not alone.

Most of all, I owe deep gratitude to my mother and sister, for having the courage and love to let my father go.  I am very proud that we kept his best interests at the heart of our decision to pursue palliative care for him; we knew that my father could not be a passive bystander in his life.  He was a passionate and engaged participant.  His seizure and cognitively debilitating second stroke made it clear to us that any future he might have would not have met the quality he deserved.   Nevertheless, it took tremendous fortitude to see him through to the end.   He died yesterday morning, exactly one month after his first stroke.  My mother, sister and I are grateful that his decline and demise represent only a tiny fraction of an almost eighty year life very well lived and very well loved.

We will be having a Celebration of my father's Life on Saturday, July 25 from 11-2pm at the beautiful Capital Funeral Home located at 3700 Prince of Wales Drive.  Please feel welcome to attend.

At the moment, it's very hard for me to eulogize my father.  So I think it is most fitting to leave that to his grandchildren, who were, after all, the greatest joy in his life.  The video linked below was taken on Friday, as my kids worked on a "Hug Blanket" for Opa.  We hung it on the wall of his hospital room, and yesterday morning, right after he died, his wonderful nurse draped it over him.  We all know he would have wanted that last hug more than anything else.

What We Love About Opa

We love you, and will miss you, Dad.  Heaven is a place in a loved one's heart, Dad, and you'll live on in ours forever.