Preparing for a painful passage

I went with Bernice today to make pre-funeral arrangements for Dad.  He doesn't have much time left so I talked to Bernice last week about setting things up ahead of time. She agreed and invited me to go with her today. 

On the way to pick her up, I found myself thinking back over the years and remembering key moments with Dad.  I recalled the first time we met, how he looked on the day Dennis and I were married, and when I laid Bryan in his arms for the first time.  I remembered the times he and Carol would come out for dinner and he would go outside and kick the soccer ball with Bryan when he was a little guy.  It was nice to recall his sense of humor and how easily he laughed and how much he enjoyed a good joke.  I feel sad in a way that he was so private and locked away.  I never really got to know him because he never shared any information about himself, his life, his past, or his experiences.  What I know about him I learned from Den's Mom.  Oh, sometimes he would tell a funny story about him and his brothers when they were kids but he never would talk about the family in a way that would give a picture of what life might have been like for him as the youngest of 9 kids.

He met and married Bernice in 1986.  What a blessing she was in his life.  She has the patience of a saint and they really love each other.  She has a nice, easy going type B personality and she never minded deferring to his quirky ways.  He is a lucky man to have a wife who has taken such good care of him, has made sure that he has received the best possible care now that he is in a nursing home, and a woman who dearly loves him.

When we got to the mortuary, we met with a very kind gentleman who helped us through the planning process.  We made all the decisions and now, all we have to do is make a phone call when the time comes.  Dad will be cremated and his ashes will be interred at Riverside National Cemetery because he is a WWII veteran and he earned the honor of being buried there. 

After we finished our business, we went to see Dad.  I got there first and spent about 20 minutes alone with him.  He was in and out of sleep but he did recognize me.  I sit and I pray for him.  I ask God to release him from his pain and to take him to heaven.  I also talk to God about his salvation and I trust that God has a plan for Dad's life and I trust that His will shall be done.  I know that God is aware of all the circumstances of Dad's life and that he loves him and understands why he is the way he is.  That gives me a lot of peace.