One year ago (Thursday to be exact), Dave & I were waiting in the cell phone lot at SeaTac Airport waiting for his parents, Bill & Jolene. We were talking about my dad, who was in a Seattle hospital at the time, and how once we picked up Bill & Jolene we needed to go visit him. The song, All is Full of Love by Bjork came on. We had a nice visit with him. We talked about awful hospital food, what fun things we had planned with Bill & Jolene, and the plans for Caleb's baptism on Saturday the 9th. I specifically remember Bill asking my dad if there was anything he (Bill) could say on my dad's behalf. My dad simply answered that he knew Bill would be able to say the right things. We thought it a bit ironic that as the 6th May grandchild to be baptised, Caleb was the first to live in Washington, and yet, the first that my dad would not be attending. He kept talking about how he wouldn't get better in the hospital, and that he needed to go home. We assumed he meant home to my mom - that home in Auburn was where he would go to get better. We said our good-byes and he held my hand a bit longer than I was expecting and said, "I love you Prillo." We returned home and worked frantically at last minute preparations for Caleb's special day. Friday night we went to bed after 11. Shortly after lying down, the words to the Bjork song I mentioned earlier came into my mind. As I sung the chorus over in my mind, I was filled with the most wonderful feeling of warmth, love, peace. I don't really know how to describe it. I felt ready to burst, yet I was so happy. Not 30 seconds later, my sister Rachel called in a panic. The hospital had called, dad was not responding, and her husband Aaron was rushing (well above the speed limit we later learned) my mom to the hospital. She would call back when there was any news. I was tasked with calling my brother Craig, and sister Dyan. Through it all, I was very calm. Even before hanging up the phone with Rachel, I already knew what the news would be. My dad had passed away. About 30 minutes later my mom called to tell me what I already knew. We woke up Bill & Jolene, told them the news and actually got a few hours of sleep. The next day we had Caleb's baptism as planned. It was a very emotional affair. And at the end of the day, Caleb reaffirmed what I had been thinking: that Grandpa May was able to attend his baptism after all.
Today, I was innocently cleaning out a filing cabinet and came across a card my dad sent to me in 1996 when I was still single, living in Salt Lake City.
I think of him a lot. I am sure he is "watching over me". There is a particular song by Pearl Jam that makes me cry every time I hear it. But lately I have had the words from the musical Wicked going through my head. For Good. (Sorry about the size of the video. I couldn't figure out how to make it smaller!)The lyrics are beautiful and say some of how I feel about my dad. I hope that someday I can have as much of a positive influence in my childrens' lives as my own father has had (and continues to have) in mine. I love you dad! - April
