Goodbye Dad

The day after we returned from our cruise vacation I received word that my dad had contracted influenza and was deteriorating quickly.  Less than 2 days later he passed away.  I was able to fly out the next day to meet up with my mother and sister and we were all together as he took his last breaths. 

It's a lot to take, even though my dad has been slowly passing for years due to his Alzheimer's disease this ending was much quicker than we had expected.

Fortunately my girls and I had been out to see him only 3 weeks before and had a lovely visit to remember him by.

It is hard to know how to get back to normal; driving carpool, running errands, making dinner while also processing loss and planning for his memorial.  There isn't a handbook for how to do this, and I'm just stumbling along.

So if I take a break from blogging you'll know why.  Or if I decide that blogging about popcorn recipes, vintage toys, vacation tips or how to talk to kids about dying you'll know that that is helping me move forward.  Either way, know that I'm thinking about my dad every day.

This is the last photo taken of me with my dad in early January.

And this is the first photo I have with my dad.  I was a 70s baby as you can see.  My dad was older in this photo than I am now.  

For more on Alzheimers:

Visiting Memory Care/Nursing Homes with Kids
Gift Ideas for Loved Ones with Dementia