Here's what happened in my life that has impacted me deeply...
My Dad passed away and I wasn't able to be by his side in the hospital,
up in Canada, due to the "quarantine act", which I call it.
I received the news the night before he passed, that I needed to get home
right away, which, for me, was a 6 hour drive. I headed to the border,
but it had closed early that night. It is usually open until midnight,
so when I came upon it at 10:00pm and saw that it was all locked up, I
was disheartened...yet, at that very moment, my cell phone rang and it
was my Mom, who gave my Dad their cell phone, so that we could talk and
share a moment that will forever be in my memory, as we shared, among
other topics, how much we loved one another. He was coherent until the
end, which was that next morning at 5:30am. I had turned around at the
border and drove back to Kettle Falls, to stay at an inn that night...and
there, with my cat, I prayed to the Lord for healing for my Dad, and,
as always, I asked for the Lord's will to be done...and then, I believe,
I fell asleep for a bit, listening to Psalm 91 on my phone. At 6am the
next morning my phone rang and it was my Mom, for which she said the words,
"it's over Honey, Daddy passed away this morning at 5:30"...
My heart sank but it was, and is, not broken, as I know I will see him
one day in Heaven!! You see, as I said, my Dad was coherent until the
end...he was in ICU in the Vernon Hospital and my Mom was with him the
whole time, so they talked, reminiscing about the past and even the future,
with the hopes that he would get better...then, as he became more uncomfortable,
he spoke with fervor, "Enough", for which my Mom asked him,
"are you wanting to go to Heaven Dear?"..."Yes, I want
to go to Heaven", he exclaimed. So, as the hours passed with my Mom
doting on my Dad, she saw a change in his eyes, to where "he wasn't
looking into this world anymore", she said and she asked him "John,
what do you see?" "Angels" he said...
There is my peace that surpasses all understanding, for which my Lord and
Saviour has always promised to me and to those whose trust is in Him:-)
The God of Creation chose the perfect timing and the perfect way, as my
Dad made the choice to pass from this world...it wasn't left to my
Mom and to me to decide.
My story continues with me driving that same day, to Canada, to be with
my Mom...yet I couldn't be "with" her because I had to quarantine
for 14 days, but not with an elderly person, for which my Mom is...I will
say that I did stop by her house, donned my PPE and knocked on her door...to
share in a hug with her before I travelled an hour and a half away, to
my quarantine place. My last day of quarantine was what would have been
my Dad's 82nd birthday, so my Mom, Grandma and I shared in a birthday
celebration for him:-)
This time has strengthened me beyond words and I am so grateful for the
wonderful nurse(s) that took care of my Dad, and my Mom, as she spent
those hours with him, by his bedside. As the nurse walked my Mom out to
the front doors of the hospital, she stated that she hopes that one day,
she will find the love of a man and a marriage like my Mom and Dad had,
cause they did it right:-) What a testament to what they had, for 59 1/2
years. Now it's just my Mom and me, and we are moving forward with
healing hearts, one day and even one moment, at a time.
Thank you for reading this and for me, being able to share all this has
helped me even more in my healing...as my Dad's passing was July 11th.
Blessings,
Pam Lyseng