We were all there, except for my eldest brother with his family in Ohio, and my second to the eldest brother, who was sick. We found Dad asleep in his bed. We woke him up and dressed him in the new pajama outfit, our sister got for him. Mom had prearranged for us to have a private room for our celebration, so we wheeled Dad so the festivities could begin.
Dad was so happy and excited, telling us we were an answer to his prayers. He kept telling us, "This was suppose to be the scariest night of my life". We gave Dad his gifts to open. Mom knitted him an lap blanket, which we placed over his knees. We each took turns reading our cards to Dad, as he did not have his glasses.
Mom also made his favorite rice, cheese and green olive casserole and our sister made him a pineapple upside down cake. My youngest brother bought him oatmeal raisin cookies and some of his favorite flavored gum. My second to the youngest brother and his son, brought Dad chocolate covered cherries.
I showed Dad a picture of Izzy, and he laughed and laughed. He just loves animals. I found a poem on line and painted a card to go with it. The author is unknown...
What Makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,
He called it...Dad
While my sister, brother, and his son went to Dad's room to arrange all his cards and pictures on the wall, my youngest brother asked Dad what was his best birthday memory. Dad told us, "This one, this can't be beat". He asked Dad how old he was, and Dad said, "This side of ninety". We all laughed and gave him a standing ovation!
We wheeled him back to his room and showed him his wall of love with all his cards arranged on his wall. We tucked him into bed and each gave him a kiss, hug and told him how much we loved him. It was the second best visit we have shared together as a family since Father's Day at the Psych Ward. These are the cherished moments, we know, are gifts from the Lord...
3 comments:
Donna, I'm so happy you had such a nice visit with your Dad and he could enjoy his birthday. This post made me happy and better yet, it sounds like the day made your Dad happy too!
What a joyous day. And a love day.
Thank you Mari and WhiteStone, it was a joyously happy love day for sure. Dad was one big smile all evening, and that was the best gift of all!
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