it's not a goodbye, it's a "see you later"

On Saturday, October 8th, I said goodbye to someone I love with my whole heart and being.
I said goodbye to my Dad.

My Daddy passed away at the Montreal General Hospital. It was unexpected, and it happened quite quickly, but luckily, my sister and I made it back to Montreal in time to say goodbye. Walking into that hospital room and seeing him so weak and sick broke my heart in ways you can't even begin to imagine. After all, this was the man who used to tot me around on his shoulders .. this was the man who held me up above the crowds so I could see parades. This was the man whose arm I was supposed to clutch as I walked down the aisle on my wedding day. This was a good man, and the lives of good men are not supposed to end this way. Not at sixty-two years of age. Not when there is still so much living to do.

I spent ten days with him before he passed. Ten days of serving he could no longer serve himself. Ten days of loving. And by the time it came for the last goodbye, my heart was at peace. My heart was (and still is) broken, but my heart was at peace.

My Dad was a wonderful person and an incredible father. He had a hard life, and so he wasn't always the easiest person to get along with, but beneath the sometimes grumpy, rough and tough exterior was a man who would lay down his life in an instant for the people he loved. He was loyal and sensitive and truly kind. He loved his daughters. One of the last things he said to me was that he had loved me from the moment I came home to live with him and that he was proud of the person I had become. I will never forget those words, and I will thank God every day that I was able to have that last precious moment with my Dad.

I love you, Daddy. I love you with all that I am. And I will forever carry your heart in mine.
xo