I've managed to put in nearly four hours today, but I'm going to have to take a break soon. In total, I think I've spent seven hours to go through 88 pages. But this is the last round, so it has to be right.
It's also the anniversary of my dad's death. I was at the funeral for an old college friend and as soon as we stepped outside, I called to see how he was doing. He had been hospitalized for a few weeks and we had asked them to stop all interventions five days before. (You can do that, you know. Including IV fluids. I am so glad we did. He could no longer walk and did not know who we were. He also screamed every time they tried to move him.)
Four years later, my mom has a semi-boyfriend and is content, even joyful. It's hard to think about my dad. I have to reach back pretty far, to before he had Alzheimers. He was sweet and smart. He was the closest my small town had to a celebrity (because he did the nightly news on one of the only two stations in town), yet there were many times he felt insecure and like a fraud. (After he died, we discovered a journal he had kept.)
Rest in peace, Daddy.
