Dad is Home!

Sunday afternoon when I walked into my parents house, one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was my Dad sitting in his recliner. After seeing him reclining in a hospital bed from Tuesday through Saturday, it was so heartwarming to have him up, awake and sassier than he's been in a long time.Last Tuesday morning I was at work when I got word that Dad had been taken by ambulance to the Lebanon hospital after collapsing at home for the second time in two weeks. He had been very weak, dizzy and tired. I finished a few things at work and headed over to the hospital, where they ended up admitting him. I spent most of my waking hours over there with other family members through Friday.

Once again we learned how true it is that doctors practice medicine, as they ran tests and thought they had a diagnosis until the last test, an echocardiogram, was finally performed late Wednesday. This showed a problem with his heart, which led them to do another test, which revealed blood clots in his lungs, much to the doctor's surprise. Dad was so weak for awhile that the doctor was recommending his release to a nursing home until he regained some strength. Just when we became resigned to that and started to make some plans, he became much stronger and was able to go home Saturday.

I haven't spent so much time with my dad in years. He has always been a very kind and gentle man, with a sense of humor that did not lend itself to putdowns. Fortunately, I had nearly 50 years of that kind of treatment as a secure foundation to get me through the honesty of the comments I heard this week, no doubt rising out of the confusion of his old age!

My youngest sister Jean, the baby of the family, naturally has always enjoyed being the center of Dad's attention, and I certainly never begrudged her position. She was born when I was in my late teens, so we never had the opportunity for much sibling rivalry. Until now.

I believe it started when Dad began feeling a little better. The chair next to his hospital bed where Mom normally sat was empty, and as Jean sat down in it, she asked Dad, "Do you mind if I sit here?" He said, "Oh, sure, I don't mind looking at you." Without thinking I pulled up next to her and said, "Can I sit here too?" He looked at me and said quite seriously, "I don't know, your face is showing a lot of age!" I had to leave the room as I got to laughing pretty loud. Later I had to find a mirror and check out just how much age my face is showing! Yep, it's pretty much showing every single one of my 49 years. But I like to think a lot of them are laugh lines!

Awhile later when I came back into his room, he looked at me and asked what I wanted. I reminded him that I was his daughter LeAnn and that I was in and out of his room all day visiting him. He said, "I guess it's alright as long as you don't talk too much!"

The family went out to dinner Friday night. The beautiful little sister could hardly wait to tell me what he said to her after I left. She was helping him with something and he said she didn't need to go to any trouble for him. She said it's ok, I caused you a lot of trouble in the past. He replied, "But you brought me a lot of joy!" Wow! She had a witness so I guess she's not making it up!

Then on Sunday I sat next to him at the dinner table. He asked if there was enough room for me. I said, "Oh, yes, I'm just a little thing. At least that's what my husband is always telling me." Dad gave me a look and then said, "Well, he must not have very good eyes!"

When dessert was served, Dad received a modest portion of sugar-free ice cream. A big tub of regular ice cream was passed around and ended up by Dad. I noticed that he was helping himself to a few scoops of it and said, "Dad, you already have ice cream." His quick response was, "You need to mind your own business!"

So I was thoroughly put in my place while Jean continued to revel in her position as the beautiful young favored daughter, sitting at his feet and making sure he was comfortable. Until...late in the day, when she had little Baby Levi on the kitchen counter. This made Dad very uneasy and he went to find Mom to do something about it. Jean told Dad not to worry about the baby, he's just fine. Then she had the nerve to say, "Why don't you go back and sit down in your chair." She finally got her comeupance. Dad told her, "This is my house so don't be telling me what to do!" Yep, at last Dad put her in her place!

It was great to end the day playing dominoes with Dad once again, although he did say he'd rather play with little kids so he can tell them what to do! I am thankful the Lord has given us more time to enjoy with him when it could so easily have been different. It is comforting to see how the goodness of his character still shines through even when he is confused, how he is always offering to share everything from his cookies to his chair, and wanting to make sure others around him are comfortable and have what they need. We were there again this evening, and Nick learned that when you sit by Grandpa at dinner, he will notice when your water glass is empty or you need butter, and he'll make sure that someone will get you what you need!

My dad is a blessing, and I am very thankful for him. I'm even thankful for the beautiful baby sister that he gave me more than 30 years ago!