Sheryl Rosen > wrote in
:
> in article , Wayne
> Boatwright at wrote on 12/21/03
> 3:36 PM:
>
>> I saw my dad on the day of the night he passed away. He had a heart
>> problem, but had been in apparently the same condition for some
>> months and didn't appear to be feeling any worse. He was up and
>> about and joked at the dinner table. Later that night he passed away
>> from congestive heart failure.
>>
>> My mother and I did not know that earlier that same day he told
>> several neighbors "goodbye" for the final time, saying that he
>> wouldn't be seeing them again. He must ahve felt or known something,
>> but didn't want to worry my mother or me.
>>
>> Wayne
>
> Ok. I do believe some people know when it's their time.
>
> My mom called everyone she hadn't spoken to in awhile (Friends and
> relatives) for a week before she died. Maybe 8-10 hours before, she
> and I were talking about how much she missed her parents and the dog
> we had who had died 10 years before.....wow, this coming Tuesday will
> be 23 years since my first pet died!!! She even talked about her
> sister, who died when the girls were small, maybe 6-7 yrs old. By the
> time Mom passed, she had talked to everyone, told them she loved them,
> and sort of reminded those who were there before her that she was
> thinking about them and was looking forward to seeing them.
>
> But I'm thinking...my dad, on the other hand...he talked to my brother
> and sister for New Year's, which was 2 weeks before, but...he really
> didn't make the rounds immediately before. My parents, though, were
> very different in the way they treated people outside the immediate
> family. So maybe...in his mind, his goodbyes were already done because
> the relationships weren't that strong. And I was there when he
> essentially left us (though he lingered in a coma for 4 days). And I
> hate to say this, but I honestly was his favorite, after my Mom,
> so....maybe to him, he had all he needed or wanted. Who knows?
>
> They are very missed, especially this time of year. And that's really
> all I need to know.
I understand completely, Sheryl. My parents were both quite different as
well. My dad was far less demonstrative than my mom, perhaps typical of
their generation, too. As I was leaving late that afternoon before he
passed away, he called out the door that he loved me, something he didn't
verbalize frequently. I was an only child, and probably the apple of
both my parents' eyes. My mother, OTOH, had a rather painful time in the
hospital before her death. We spoke, but she was wandering in and out of
consciousness. I think we were both assured of our love for each other,
and I was able to tell her it was alright to let go and that I would be
alright. Given the circumstances, I couldn't have asked for more.
I miss them both more than I can say, perhaps my mom a little more
because we were closer... Or is that just boys? My mom would have been
90 this past December 16. I can't quite believe that she's been gone
5-/12 years.
Wayne