22 years ago...

It's been 22 years ago, this week, that my dad passed away. My memories, I'm sure are different from Carrol and mom's. I was 11 years old, it was about 2 1/2 weeks before my 12th birthday. A friend of mine had stayed the night that Friday night. The next morning we woke up and went to town because she was on a bowling league. After she was finished bowling we sat outside of the bowling place and talked while waiting for her mother to come pick us up. As we sat outside, an ambulance with it's sirens on goes flying past heading toward my town. I had this feeling come across me and I said to my friend, "I wonder where they are going"? We waited a few moments later and her mother arrived. She took us to her clothing store there in town so we could hang out until closing time. We started getting hungry and walked from her store to a couple of blocks down to Wendy's. We ordered and sat down, then I saw my cousin and her friend rushing in to get me. They told me I had to leave with them because they were taking my dad to the hospital because he had a heart attack. Remember I was only 11 years old, I was not familiar with heart attacks. They drop my friend off at her mom's shop and we rushed to the ER. They took me back to a room where my mom and other family was. I sat there crying because I didn't understand what was going on. All I heard next was, "did you tell her?". They said "no, not yet". They then proceeded to tell me that he died. I felt like my heart fell out of me. They took us back to a room where he was laying on the table in his overalls.

What had been happening at home while I was at the bowling alley? Well, dad was down by the barn working on a car. He started having chest pains. Mom or Carrol called 911 to meet them in our small town, because the closest ambulance was 30 min. away. Mom got the vehicle and Carrol helped put dad in. On the way to town, Carrol started giving dad CPR. When they met up with the ambulance they took over, but I believe he passed before arriving at the hospital. My memory of their story maybe off a little, and I am sure their memories are more vivid that I am even stating.

But isn't it funny how God knows what we can handle. He knew that I was too young to handle the stuff going on at home and he removed me from the situation. Then brought me back in when it was time. He is still working on my life and others all the same way. He prepares us all, if we listen. He told me months before this happend that something was going to happen to my dad. I didn't know what, I thought it was just a nightmare I was having. I would wake up scared and crying because it was like a question being asked to me. Which one is it? Mom or Dad? The answer was always Dad. A few months later it happend. God prepares us all, he knows what we can handle and what we can't.

We buried my dad on November 17th, on November 17th, 2001 is when Jody proposed to me. He changed a sad moment in my life to a happy new beginning. How great was that!