Saturday, February 28, 2015

My dad is at peace

Morton G. Kimmel, 1934-2015
After eleven days in hospice, my dad left us early Wednesday morning. I spent the wee hours sitting with him -- we knew it would be soon. I had left his side to make my bed, and as I returned the quilt to the closet, I stopped to review the suit and tie that had been selected for his funeral. I was not happy with the tie, and was going through his tie selection when a family member came to tell me he was gone.

Dad had long battled Parkinson's disease, and in 2013 he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of bone cancer.  If he endured  limitations and discomfort in his old age, he did it with grace and dignity. Dad, may you rest in peace.

I could not describe my dad in a way that would do him justice. Instead I will share something I read recently about the significance of the individual, and about a generation that we are losing.

Oliver Sacks, noted author, wrote an article for the New York Times on learning that he has terminal cancer. 

"I have been increasingly conscious, for the last 10 years or so, of deaths among my contemporaries. My generation is on the way out, and each death I have felt as an abruption, a tearing away of part of myself. There will be no one like us when we are gone, but then there is no one like anyone else, ever. When people die, they cannot be replaced. They leave holes that cannot be filled, for it is the fate — the genetic and neural fate — of every human being to be a unique individual, to find his own path, to live his own life, to die his own death."


17 comments:

  1. So sorry for you loss. It's never easy to lose someone.

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  2. My thoughts are with you and your family Stacey. Take care of yourself.

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  3. I am sorry for your loss. I love the quote from Oliver Sacks. I've admired him for years. I have loved the photos that you've been posting. May you find comfort in your memories. Take care

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  4. Im so sorry for your great loss...you and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers! -Karen from Rochester NY

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  5. I am truly sorry for your loss. I pray for peace and comfort for your family at this time. And, the quote in your last paragraph really resonates with me.

    Hug your horsies and know we are all thinking about you.

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  6. I am in the processing of selling a saddle and I came across your blog via a COTH forum--that's how I got here. But as I also read this post, I just had to say that I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you find peace and comfort in this difficult time.

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  7. My condolences. Old photos look so magical. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. I am so sorry for your loss. Times like this are never easy, but your Dad was so loved his life will shine on in all your hearts.

    Please extend my heartfelt sympathy to all your family. I will keep you all in my prayers.

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  9. Very sorry for your loss - you an your family are in my thoughts

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  10. He will never truly be gone, as long as you hold his memory in your heart. I'm sorry for your loss.

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  11. A beautiful tribute by a loving daughter to her fabulous and much loved father. You favor him, I think, and I have enjoyed the photos, too. God bless you and your family.

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  12. I am so sorry...wonderful stories and photos..he was very fortunate to have you there in his last days.

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  13. My deepest sympathies on the loss of your father.

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  14. Your father was a fun, generous and thoughtful presence in my life. I am sorry for your loss but happy that you were able to be with him so much up until the end. All of my sympathies!

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  15. You've honored him well on these pages over the past few months. May you, too, find peace in that. I am sorry for your loss.

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  16. May your father rest in peace. I hope your memories will bring you some comfort.
    My sincere condolences to you and your family.

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