In Memory of Daddy – Southern Hospitality

Many of you have been with me for years, when I lived in Birmingham and presented them all to my parents. You have supported all these years and you really fell in love with my parents. I can’t blame you, they are such adorable people. When Mom died last year, there was a lot of love for her and I appreciated all her tender and sweet words while we lost our matriarch. It was a woman of faith with big shoes to fill and we still missed her a lot. It is with great sadness that I share that our dear dad, Albert, died last week, on February 6. This is not the publication that I thought I would write this weekend, but here we are. It was a surprise for all of us and much faster than we expected, but the grace of God is enough and we are grateful that he has not suffered much.

It has been said that when you lose your parents, it makes you feel like an orphan. I think I’m starting to understand that now. Now that Dad is gone, it makes much more sense to me. Losing the stability and the base with which he was born is difficult to imagine and when the parents are no longer on this land, it is an sobering reality that we have alone and we no longer have that parental link with which we all begin their life. My parents were exceptional if I dare to say that out loud. It is certainly true for me. They were so close to the perfect parents that I can imagine.

This was the day before I went to the cruise, I was doing well

I had no idea that this health turn would happen so fast. I was there the day before I went to our cruise. I left for a week and when I returned, the installation was blocked because Norovirus was unbridled on the side of assisted life. Dad is in the care of memory and had no case there, but they were being very cautious, so visitors outside the visitors had to wait a week to return. When I returned last Monday, I could barely believe my eyes. He had talked to the director of Care at the beginning of that week and knew that his attention plan had changed in January. I needed much more help with daily things. He knew he was decreasing in recent months, but exponentially accelerated the last week. I was having more difficulty getting up and walking, but it was still well feeding on the table at that time. In just a week, things changed dramatically and he was a completely different person when I returned there. They told me the previous week that he had stayed in his room and that they had him sitting in his chair to eat, even feeding him when it was hard for him to take his mouth. He had been sleeping more and did not want to get up in the morning, so all these are signs that the body is slowing down, especially losing its appetite. He loved to eat.

Note written by a song that mom wrote and left in her devotional book.

It simply happened much faster than any of us dreamed that it would happen, but I have prayed so that the Lord takes it quickly and does not let him suffer. My sister, Renee, led to the city last Monday for a scheduled visit anyway and the moment ended up being perfect. I let her know her on Monday how bad she was. After a week of not wanting to eat much and sleep much more, we believe he had a blow during Sunday night. We did not get the diagnosis of a doctor about it, but surely he had the signals. It was not bad enough to paralyze it, but his speech was definitely off. The staff told me that it was completely different that Monday when I entered and I could see it for myself. Talking was difficult at this time, but I could talk to him and he listened to me and replied. The hospice nurse was there and met her for the first time when she took her vital and agreed to where she was. I am very grateful that they were involved the previous week, it was just in time.

My sister entered Tuesday and we both feed her with strawberry ice cream. We talked to him and told him how much we love him. He told us that he also loved us. It was a heater and comforting heart to have those final moments to communicate with him. We still didn’t know how long we would have and on Wednesday, Hospice had a hospital bed brought to feel more comfortable. He died later that night as he slept after midnight. My sister and I pray that God will take him and not let him delay and the Lord replied our prayers. He did not suffer much and we are very grateful for that.

Papi was an exceptional man and we cried his death, but we know he is in a better place and met with our mother. When I entered Monday to see him, he looked at me and said “Where is your mother”? I said that he is not yet here and we talked a little when I told him again that I loved him. He told me back. I asked him if he was suffering and said no, it wasn’t.

God has been as good with us as a family and has given our parents for much longer than most people who have them. Dad was 97 years old and Mom was 95 when he died more than a year ago. Most people do not have their parents so much time, so I have absolutely nothing to complain. It is difficult to go through the process of seeing your loved one from this earth. There is no easy way to do so, except to pray for grace and mercy. We get it for dad. I know where he is and I know what is in his heart and that gives me comfort. He loved God with all his heart. Thank you all for loving it so much. The effusion of love in me Facebook page and Instagram page They were overwhelming and I tried to read each comment. He was a dear husband, father and grandfather, in addition to a retired shepherd loved by many people in the church. He survived all his pastor friends and we didn’t even have a preacher to call who knew him so well, but we will have a celebration of the life service next weekend to honor this great man of God. We will miss it a lot. Even with dementia, he still had a sense of humor and was still quite alert despite his illness.

Mom was in assisted life for 2 years 2 months and Dad was in memory care for 3 years, 3 months. We are very happy to have moved them when we did and had a relatively easy and happy life of their home during their last years when they needed the help. Memory care facilities are places oriented to God for families that need help.

Daddy and Mama will be buried in the National Cemetery of Georgia for veterans, with a military ceremony and buried in a vault and we will have that service as soon as we can after the celebration service.

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