Dear Dad,

I want to thank you for allowing us, your family, to care for you at what we didn’t understand then, was your end of life journey. We struggled watching you struggle to breathe and watching you retreat from us as you curled up in the green hospital room. Then we asked if you wanted to stay in hospital or go home, you said “Home is always better” and so we all ventured home. In this time at home, from March 17th to April 11th, you gave us the very best of yourself in those 3 weeks. We had shared the struggle of impact of alcohol on all of our lives through your struggle with alcohol. Somehow being able to be with you and care for you in those 3 weeks gave us the gift of forgiveness among us-it was the graciousness and patience you showed us in your last days. The love and gratefulness and all of your quiet, whispered thank yous that allowed such forgiveness and peace in our hearts. We loved you until the end of your life-just as you loved us! And, my personal thankfulness is for how this journey alongside you, inspired me, and I returned to nursing, so naturally embracing what you had shown me and so began my journey with palliative care. I know you are pleased! Each person I journey alongside has their own story, and a piece of you and I journeys along with each of them! Thank you for these gifts dad. XO