Friday November 14th. "Home at last"

110 days and a few hours ago my Dad started this journey. This decision that would change his life and that of his family forever. 110 days ago he woke up much like he always would, perhaps a little more nervous than most mornings, but you wouldn't know if you saw him. He was more excited about hearing the positive results after the surgery. I was not there, but I can imagine he patted Jack on the head, and said "Be a good boy, Jack". The trip to the hospital was rather calm, according to my Mom. I would love to have known what was going through his head at that moment. Did he pay extra attention to the summer leaves on the trees? The sound of the birds chirping? The gorgeous blue summer sky? The smell of the fresh flowers cascading through their front yard? I am sure he took for granted the simple things, as we all do, that he now struggles with each day.

111 days ago was the last time I heard his voice, that voice I had grown accustomed to for the last 36 years (aside from the night I called my Mom at home and heard his voice on the answering machine.). I recall times sitting at work when my father would call me just to talk, and I would "scold" him from doing this, as it was distracting me from work. I would do anything for my phone to ring and hear his voice again.

I just called my Mom, and he is finally settled (back in his leather chair) at home. The ramp worked wonderfully, I was told. Jack is running around like a mad man dog....refusing to settle down. We have been training my Dad the last few weeks to say the words "Bad Dog!", as I am sure Jack has developed some bad habits since my Dad has been gone.

Before I leave, I wanted to make a small note of something completely bizarre that happened a few days ago while at his nursing facility. We gave him a dry erase board and a marker to write stuff down when he was either too tired to talk, or we could not understand him. I came into his room the other night, and he began writing sideways. As in, the letters. So imagine a map...you have North & South, and East & West. While all of us typically write "West to East", he decided to write out an entire sentence "South to North"....and quite effieciently and legible, I might add.

I asked him why he did this, and again "South to North" he wrote, "I don't know". Then he asked me to write something. I said what do you want? He told me, "anything"....so being a smart ass, I wrote "Anything". I was standing in front of him with the board between us, so that everything he normally writes would be upside down for me....so he grabs the marker and writes the word "anything" upside down to him, and right side up for me....again quite efficiently AND legible. I was dumbfounded. I told him to do it again, so he writes all his letters backwards going East to West. I asked him who taught him to do this, he said no one....and no one has seen him do this before. Finally he started writing West to East (left to right) again, and things went on as normal. Human behavior is just so bizarre sometimes.

Anyway....

My Dad is home.