In Daytona Beach and it’s time…time to get my Dad lined up for a retirement home. The mind and spirit are not ready but the body is, and we are braced for a fight. After working with him on a 35 page application for the new VA facility only 5 minutes away, he dug in with all sorts of arguments and fears. He accused me of coming with the ulterior motive of locking him up. Tomorrow we work on some power of attorney and bank issues. Then another try.
We’ve told him he can say “when” but let’s get our ducks in order.
sigh
We were so warmly welcomed in Janet’s home and happyt to spend a few days with she and my dad and celebrate his 85th birthday with he, Janet, Aunt Marilyn and lots of cronies.
The photos, testimonies, and mementos of those who served really came alive in the museum presentation and on the field of green that over looks the Omaha Beach. While 3 of our parents served in this war, they were fortunate to serve in other locals: Barbara in Washington D.C., George in Africa and Brazil, and Joe went to China. War is different now in so many ways…Steve was in Vietnam…and that was different too. Unlike most other countries, service in our military is honored; it is not just a job but a commitment. But the risks are great. We were taken with the fact that the crosses we saw represented young people who gave up their futures so that others could have one. And so many loved ones left behind to grow old without them.
As things are coming together and a lifetime of wishes and dreams are about to come to fruition, we were notified that BOTH our Dads are facing a health crisis. George got blood work back that indicated the kidneys are getting tired and on Sunday we are being interviewed by Hospice. And Joe, didn’t let us know that he was in the Hospital since Monday. They have drained his chest cavity and loosened stuff in his lungs, but they have found a mass in his lungs and will find out more next week. Are we facing the beginning of the end