May 12th is Always a Special Day for Me

For years my family had a lot of birthdays to celebrate in May.  My grandmother had a May birthday and my dad's birthday was May 12th which also frequently coincided with Mother's Day.

Both my grandmother and father died in 1983 within 3 months of each other.  My dad died at 63 years of age of leukemia.   I had been on vacation when I received a call from my sister that he had been diagnosed with the the kind of leukemia that moves quickly and is usually always fatal.  He had just come back from vacation and could not walk up the stairs of a condo that he and my mother had owned.

His death was a huge loss for me as I considered him not only a father but a friend also.  I lived 2 blocks from my parents at the time in Euless, Texas.  Frequently I would walk to my parent's home and have coffee with him.  We shared interests in religion and would often talk about the mysteries of the universe.  I felt so fortunate to have had him in my life and was devastated when he died.

I remember so vividly my youngest daughter who was 10 years old at the time going to the hospital everyday and sitting outside his window to see him.  At that time the hospital would not let young children in to see patients.  His room was on the ground floor and she could see him that way.  She gave him notes, etc.  I often wonder if this might have contributed to her desire to become a Nurse Practitioner which she is today.

I still silently say Happy Birthday to my dad every year on this day and feel so blessed to have had a wonderful dad in my life.  Below is a photo of him with me when I was 2 years old.  (He loved wearing hats).