The Final Journey, Part 1.

Shortly after I made the previous entry I called my mother and was told that Dad was getting worse. I went to Wal-Mart and arranged another week off. I tried to get some sleep and got woke up by a "wonderful" telemarketer. I decided to surf the internet for a few minutes and then go back to bed. Right after I started I got a call from my brother telling me Dad had passed away at 1:00 PM. It was about 5:00 when he called. I decided to go ahead and leave even though I had had about 3 hours sleep. I wouldn't have gone back to bed anyway. This part I am going to talk about about the first trip and the next I will talk about the second.

It was hard seeing Dad as weak as he was. He had always seemed so strong and like most kids I thought he could do anything. Now even breathing was a struggle. After I saw him in the hospital I was very glad I had gone. He was asleep when I got there and didn't wake up immediately. When he did he told me he was glad I had come. I had been told all that they could do had been done. They tried shocking his heart and that worked, although we knew it was only a temporary solution. He had 20 pounds of extra fluid and he got rid of half of it after his heart started working better. On Monday they allowed him to go home and it was arranged that he would get hospice care. They also brought out an oxygen unit to help him breathe easier.

I had planned on being there for Labor Day because the Bagby family always gets together then. The picture I have here is something that Dad built. It is on the east side of our property. It started out as a pavilion and it ended up being much more. It makes for a great place to gather. Later I will post some pictures that I have from the interior. Dad wanted us to go ahead and have it. He was going to stay in the house and people would come in to see him. We had a good time, but we have lost several in the family in the last few years and Mom said it seemed a little emptier than past get togethers. The next day Dad seemed a little better, but in the afternoon I went and brought his brother so he could visit with Dad, but Dad slept through most of it. That night a lady came out and played the harp for him. She had called earlier and asked Mom if she could come. She said she does that for hospice patients. I had to leave the next morning. My vacation time was up and I had to go. I figured then I would soon be back, but I didn't realize how soon.