Same Day. Same Man. Different Visits.

If my sister was a blogger, you'd wonder if we had different dads. Her blog posts about her visits with her dad would be so much brighter and more positive than mine.

Since he went into the hospital on Monday Feb 20, she has spent her mornings with him. She is his first visitor of the day, and she sticks around for at least 2, usually 3 hours.

This morning? He wanted to sit up. And he was chatty. (Or at least as talkative as a man who recently had a massive stroke and has lost the use of his throat can be.) His eyes were open. He nodded. In other words, he didn't look like anyone one step away from the pearly gates.

However, when I got to the hospital in the late afternoon, he was horizontal and had a nebulizer over his mouth and nose area, looking like a grey-haired, wrinkled, half-naked Darth Vader. (Oh, have a I mentioned that yet? My white haired dad is going grey. He is reverse aging - his hair is getting darker. ) (Oh, and he has somehow figured out how to get naked. None of us has witnessed him having enough energy to even roll over, but somehow, when he's alone, he manages to completely disrobe himself. This? Is no mean feat.)

He was exhausted. In addition to Jule's morning visit, and my mom's being there for most of the day, Sandra, Jim, Jac and Chad popped in too. I got to hang out with sleepy-dad. His eyes would pop wide open, focus on my face, smile, then he'd doze off again. No talking. No sitting up. Just a very at-peace dad, looking comfortable.

Three things I'm thankful for:
1. Oh it was a glorious day. So sunny and warm. Last day of my extra Spring Break week off from work. I did NONE of the things I originally (months ago) planned to do. I'm going to have to be OK with that.

2. Plan B's.

3. The card I got from Shannon today... It's a drawing of an octopus with the words: If I could hug you with eight arms at once without totally freaking you out... I would.
Hahahaha. I love that she knows me so well.

Shalom,