Father's Day 2015

On Fidelity's ribbit page today there was a poll to vote on how you would honor your father this year for father's day. I chose the Other box because none of the others apply this year. And there was a note next to the Other box that said I could post of a comment if I wanted to. I decided that I did want to. This is my post. I hope you enjoy it.

I will be honoring my father this year, but in a way I have never had to honor him before. You see, my dad just passed away on May 5^th. It was very fast and unexpected; he had an aneurism in his aorta that ruptured.

One of the ways I have already honored him was to have an ultrasound of my abdomen to see if I have an aneurism in my aorta. I found out at the hospital where he was being cared for, that this is hereditary and a test was available to show if I have an aneurism in my aorta. If I had an aneurism,  it could be monitored and if needed repaired. Fortunately my results were negative and I do not have an aneurism. I am the oldest child and both of my siblings are delaying their ultrasounds for various reasons. I am regularly talking with them about the need to be tested and the peace of mind it offers. I hope to have both of them tested by the end of the year, even if I need to pay for the tests myself, it would be worth it to me.

Another way I am honoring my father is making sure my mom is taken care of. I am so fortunate to work at Fidelity where I could work remote for a few weeks right after my dad died and help my mom take care of the many appointments and updates to documents that are needed when ones spouse dies. There is a lot of stuff that has to happen! My mom is very relieved knowing everything has been taken care of and understanding her financial state for the rest of her life.

This year I will most likely spend father’s day with my husband, son, and grandson. I am sure we will all cry a little bit on this day. I will try hard not to dwell on my loss though because I was a very blessed daughter to have shared over 73 years with a wonderful father. Yes, this day will be bittersweet, but my wonderful sweet memories will far outweigh the bitterness of the loss.

Make sure and spend some time with your dad this father’s day. Your time is probably all he really wants anyway.