My father's funeral is next Tuesday, May 8. My mother passed away last October 22. My parent's were married 68 years at the time of my mother's passing. That was really hard, watching my dad lose his companion. Now, after a major surgery and a month long struggle, my dad went to meet her.
What I think is a little serendipitous is the fact that May 8, the day of the funeral, will be their 69th anniversary. There's no way your could plan that. It just happened that way. My mother was 91 and my dad was 94, so I can't complain. Funny, they let him renew his driver's license by mail this year. I have a valid driver's license for my father in my wallet that's good until he's 98. Of course, he can go anywhere he wants now without spending the gas money.
My daughter and I were with him when he left. I'm glad I got to be there. I plan on documenting his life with my camera as I slowly clear out the house. I already have his Brownie camera (with which I took my first picture when I was 5), and his old Polaroid, his pocket knife he carried always for the past 60 years or so, and a few other odds and ends. Being from the depression generation, they really never threw anything out, so I'm sure there will be a lot of surprises in the clutter. In fact, they have a working retro refrigerator in the basement that's older than I am (I'm 61), and they still have the sales receipt. I think it's out of warranty....
Anyway, I'm sad, but also relieved that they were only apart for a little less than 6 months. Life is an adventure at every turn. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes it just is what it is...
