My father is in the hospital suffering from congestive heart failure. I am leaving to go see him for a few days. I am afraid if I don't, I won't get that chance.
He will be 78 in October. He worked more overtime at Dupont than anyone in the company's history the year he retired. He was just 52 when he retired. He retired with a house that was paid for, and no debt. The average American can't do that anymore.
He was a frugal man and spent his money wisely. My mother was ill for many years and died in 1996, leaving him alone since then. He never remarried, dated or really did very much with his life.
He did not travel. Never vacationed or even treated himself to dinner. He didn't have any friends he went out with. He basically lived day to day in his house with the dog and the cat.
He did enjoy cooking and would cook anything I requested when I came to visit. His father owned a restaurant/store. He learned to cook at an early age. I wish I had learned all that he knows about cooking, maybe I wouldn't hate it so much. As a child, there were many a Sunday I woke to the smell of his home made spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. I may not have learned much about cooking from him, but he did teach me to be honest and that if I work hard, I will be rewarded.
Although he retired young and had money to pretty much do whatever he wanted....he didn't really do much. Piddled around in the garden, chopped wood for the woodstove he used to heat his house. (He had a brand new heating system put in, but said he refused to pay all that money for oil and watch it go into George W.'s pocket. LOL
Life for my dad seems to be coming to a slow end, and I want to be able to tell him goodbye. I am dreading this trip but I know I have to go.
3 comments:
America was built by guys like your dad: people who took pride in their jobs, and didn't ask for a lot of fancy stuff in their lives. Probably he'll like seeing you even if he doesn't tell you so (for better or worse, that's also pretty common among the Greatest Generation).
Thanks Dave. When my father's generation is gone, this world will truly lose the greatest generation.
I am looking forward to seeing him and dreading it at the same time. It's going to be extremely difficult to see him like that. He is unable to feed himself. I just hope whatever time he has left on this earth, is peaceful. I wish he were closer so that I could visit more often.
The account of your father is just beautiful. Really, thank you for sharing it.
superdave524 has a wonderful point. This country really was built by people just like your dad. They worked hard under difficult conditions to provide things for their families which they themselves lacked when growing up.
It was as if you were writing about my grandfather. He died about 5 years ago and worked in a steel plant most of his life. He too took as much overtime as they would give him, worked extra jobs, and slept very little so that he could buy his first and only house - in cash.
People like your father and my grandfather are/were such wonderful examples of selfless dedication which I think don't exists anymore - at least not in the same way.
I'm sure you miss your father every day.
Saludos, MadridMan
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