My father passed away suddenly three years ago. I have been pretty numb since then, having had a very complicated relationship with him. I loved him and miss him, but it’s been difficult to grieve. In looking back over the last year with him, it was amazing to see how the Lord orchestrated our last days with him.
The first thing I noticed in hindsight was that he spent a weekend with my daughter Brittney in Asheville in August of 2022. They had the best time together, so much so that she made a point of telling me how fun it was! My dad could be moody but the entire time he was happy and carefree and she noticed and was so filled in her soul with love for him.
The second marvel was that he spent Christmas with my family in December. We had not had a Christmas alone with him since I was 5 or 6 years old. All our holidays were spent with our stepmother and their children and were not fun to say the least. That Christmas was amazing! He was so grateful to be with us and we were amazed at how wonderful our Christmas was!
In February, one week before he died, my sister had a 50th birthday party for herself in Florida. My dad was not planning on coming but changed his mind at the last minute. The entire weekend was incredible!! There was so much laughter, love and joy! The whole family was there, except for Brittney, who couldn’t make it because of work. During the weekend, I noticed him talking a lot with my father in law, who is a devout Christian and I learned what they talked about a week later. I also marveled at the connection he made with my great niece, his great granddaughter. As I watched him playing tea party with her and giving her gifts, the love between them was so beautiful that it made me tear up as I took pictures and I had the faintest thought that this was the last time he would see her. On the last day of the weekend, we all went out to breakfast. As we were eating my dad felt overwhelmed with emotion and stood up and gave a speech…it was his goodbye but we didn’t know it. There was not a dry eye when he finished.
One week later my father had two massive strokes and passed away in hospice care on my deceased brother’s birthday.
During that time, my father-in-law told me what they had talked about all weekend. My dad was confessing his sins and Joe was ministering to him about heaven and assuring him that he would be going there when his time came.
I can’t even explain the goodness of God in the chain of events leading up to my father’s passing but it has kept me during this time of grief and it helps greatly to know that God orchestrated it all for one last year of restoration and healing with my dad and for my sister and I to know that he was with Jesus.
Jodi