Day 41

As tough as yesterday was as an anniversary, today has to be close to that. A year ago today was the last time I saw my father alive. My Mom and I had to check him back into the hospital after the Friday night from hell that morning. My flight back to Chicago was that afternoon, so I was going to leave straight from the hospital. It was the day of the Ohio State/Michigan game. My Dad would usually stop everything to watch this game when he was healthy, but he was so weak that we had it on in the background and he could barely stay awake. Dad was always a minor OSU fan most of his life, but the John Cooper era of 1-9-1 against Michigan soured him. Combine that with my cousins going to Michigan and Dad being taken to at least a game a year in Ann Arbor, and his allegiance has shifted. He loved the whole big game atmosphere of a college football Saturday. I always used to refer to him as a "turncoat" and Michigan as "his boys."

MD had called that morning to let us know that he was going to be interviewed on ESPN News about the big Ron Artest/Pistons fans riot from the night before, since he was courtside and literally right in the middle of the melee. He was going to be on at 1:30. Nothing in this world made my Dad more proud than to watch his or listen to his son doing a national interview like this. When the interview began to air, Dad did his best to stay awake, but he literally could not. I should have sensed it right there. He couldn't even stay awake for a 4 minute interview of his son on TV. After the interview, I had to leave. One of my Mom's friends was picking me up and taking me to the airport. As I was ready to leave, I walked over the the bed and kissed him on the forehead and gave him a hug. I was always sad leaving him, but I was going to be coming back in 4 days, so I didn't even think anything of it.

I woke up this morning thinking about the fact that a year ago today, was the last time I would ever be spending with my Father. Though it seems as though in the past few days I have been dwelling on the negatives, I choose to remember my Dad as the positive fun-loving, amazing man that he was. All of the hospital negativity is coming out of me now, but I am retiring this material after next Friday, the day of the stone setting.

Song of the Day: "I Live for You" by George Harrison