At 12:30 pm EST today Terry’s father, Morris, passed away in the loving care of Hospice. We are grateful that his passing was peaceful and he is no longer suffering. Terry was able to spend this past week with his father when he was the most alert and is thankful for that time given him.
As many of you know, last year we spent six months at Terry’s folks’ home, helping to prepare them for the next phase in their lives. We find ourselves reminiscing on this time and, although fraught with some stressful moments due to the changes his elderly parents were trying to embrace, we will be forever grateful for our time there. We both felt we learned so much from the experience and discovered many things about his father that have become crystallized memories for us.
Morris was a quiet man, whose wants were few. He was content to live a simple life and enjoyed being outdoors in his yard and garden, in touch with nature. He was a kind, gentle soul with a wonderful sense of humor. Sitting outside on a bench, with sunlight dancing across his features, I could sit for hours and listen to him talk of his childhood.
Baking him chocolate-chip cookies became a weekly routine and if I veered from the established schedule, in his quiet way, with a twinkle in his eye, he would ask me “what’s the hold-up?”
Both Terry and I were able to share with his father our innermost feelings of how he had touched our lives, how much he was loved, and in turn he shared his feelings for us. What a blessed gift it is to share the gift of time and heartfelt thoughts with those we love.
Rest in peace beloved father, until we see you again.
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Our condolences and prayers to Terry and his family. Sometimes it helps for the left behind to know that he is now with his maker peacefully.
On a side note, I think Terry is a spitting image of his Dad.
MonaLiza and Steve, thank you so much for your touching words. We do believe that Morris is with his maker, in a much better place, being lovingly embraced by those who have gone before him. We feel so thankful that
Terry was able to spend the last good week that his dad had with him. Terry is smiling as I am reading this comment to him. 🙂
This was a wonderful tribute to your father-in-law, LuAnn. I know you will miss him dearly. My condolences to both you and Terry. He had a very long life, and I know he fought to stay around. Peace be with him.
Thanks so much Joan. We will miss him dearly but have such beautiful, touching memories of our time with him this past summer. He is now at peace.
My thoughts and prayers are with Terry, you and all the family!
Thanks so much Denise. I will pass this on to Terry.
What a touching and heartfelt tribute. I am sending you my sympathy for your loss and I applaud the time you gave in these past months. Perhaps there is no greater gift than to help someone transition out of this world. Wishing you peace.
Thank you Sue. And you are right, there is definitely no greater gift than to help a loved one in their final days. We feel so fortunate to have been given the gift of time spent with such a gentle, beautiful man.
It is so wonderful you had some precious time with Terry’s father before he passed. Sending good thoughts your way.
Thanks Lisa. We are so thankful for the time we had.
What a beautiful tribute to dad. God blessings, peace and strength to you and the family.
Thanks Marsha. The time we spent with him last summer was a blessing. Terry felt like he grew to know his father much better and, for me, he was the father I never had.
I remember your postings from your time spent on the farm. You both can look back on your time shared with them and reread your posts holding in your hearts, the warmest of memories. So very thankful for a peaceful passing!
Thanks Sheila and yes, we are so thankful for our time with his father, especially this past summer.
Beautifully said, LuAnn:) Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Terry, and his family. How wonderful that you both did get spend quality time with Terry’s dad before today. I am sure those moments meant a lot to him.
Thanks Pam and John. Terry spent his father’s last good week with him, which Terry will always be grateful for. Looking back, we will always cherish the time we spent last summer with his father.
What a loving tribute to Terry’s Dad. I think your days of being with him in his garden and baking his favorite cookies were what he counted as loving tribute. May you and Terry find peace in your time of grieving.
Thanks so much Gale. Since our time with Morris last summer, I often look back and chuckle at his sense of humor and am touched by his gentle nature.
I’m happy for you and Terry that you have such loving memories of him and that his struggles are over. Sending my condolences and wishing you all the best!
Thanks Gunta. We are so thankful that he is now at peace.
Terry: Hang on to those special memories in your mind and heart of the days past when dad was able to talk and laugh with you, it’s a son-dad thing…..our thoughts are with you.
Maynard
Thanks Maynard. Terry and I both have beautiful memories that we will cherish.
LuAnn, what a beautiful tribute. How wonderful that you and Terry got to spend so much time helping out. Family is indeed the most important thing in the world and when all else fails, if you have a good family, they are there for you.
Amen Nicole! We feel blessed that we were able to spend so much time with our father this past couple of years.
I remember reading your posts that driving back to take care of Terry’s father. The quality time that you and Terry will be a wonderful memory. My thoughts are with you and Terry.
Thank you Amy. Although there were challenges, we are so very thankful for the time we had this past summer.
This is so beautiful, LuAnn — and a good reminder to all of us. Truly, it is a gift to let those we love know how much we care for them, through our words and our actions. And it’s the small generosities — the weekly chocolate chip cookies — that ultimately mean so much. May the sweet memories you’ve created bring you and Terry comfort.
Thanks so much Laurel. We feel blessed to have had this gentle spirit in our lives for so many years.
So sorry for your loss, lovely post paying homage to him….
Thank you Annie.
My sincere condolences. What a lovely written post. May he rest in peace now.
Thanks Ingrid. He will be missed but we are so grateful that he is no longer suffering.
Sorry to hear of Terry’s dad’s passing but so very glad that he could be with him and his mother!
We keep praying for you both through these times. We know that you both enjoyed and struggled during your time with them last year. I am sure now you are very glad that you had that time.
We will keep praying for wisdom for Terry’s mom and the future.
We’ve hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Jan and Kent Reimer
Sent from my iPhone
Thanks Jan and Kent. Issues with elderly parents are complex and different for everyone. When all is said and done, it is the time spent and the feelings conveyed that we will always look back on and hold close.
RIP Grandpa. I love you, and miss you already!
As do we Chad. Your grandpa was a gentle spirit who will be dearly missed.
A really lovely and heartfelt tribute, LuAnn. Morris sounds to have been a kind, contented, and dependable ‘rock’ of a man. How fortunate you were to have him as a father-in-law. You and Terry obviously have some wonderful memories of him which will help to carry you through this period of grieving. My condolences to you all. *hugs* Sylvia.
Thanks Sylvia. You described Morris exactly and we do have many beautiful memories to hold in our hearts.
Terry and LuAnn, we’re so sorry to hear of Morris’ passing and glad that you were able to spend so much time together. That was a blessing for all of you. Your beautiful tribute is so touching and we especially love the story about the chocolate chip cookies. Our condolences to you and a big, loving hug. ~Terri & James
Thanks Terri and James. We are so thankful for the six months we spent last summer. It is truly the little things in life that we cling to at times like this.
A profound tribute. You will all be in my thoughts and prayers. When my dad passed someone gave me these words. “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”
Rabindranath Tagore
Thanks Clanmother for sharing this quote. It is beautiful and so true.
A lovely tribute LuAnn, best wishes to you all x
Thanks Mike.
Oh Luann, my heart goes out to both you and Terry. I know the great love and caring you both felt for Morris and all you did to try to make things easier for him during his final years. The hardest part of losing a loved one, I think, is the loss of the chance to have new experiences together but at the same time the fond memories of them come into sharper focus and have a way of comforting and warming our hearts much like that person once did in person. And the sharing of those memories can help them live on. I imagine it would be hard for me not to eat a chocolate chip cookie and think about you and Morris. { } Rick
Rick, I am so touched at your comment. Looking back at our time in Ohio last summer, and it was not without its struggles, those difficulties immediately fade away and we are left with so many lovely memories. Terry learned so much about his father those months, and I truly found the father I never had. We are so grateful for the time we had. Love the comment about the chocolate-chip cookies.
LuAnn, what a beautiful tribute to your father-in-law. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Thanks so much. We are grateful that he is now at peace.
My condolences to you both Lu Ann ❤
Thank you Ralph. I just found this comment in my spam folder. What in the world are you doing wandering around there? 🙂
Akismet have told me that they have fixed all my comments in other blogs inc.yours from going into spam, but it still does !! Maybe I like it in there ! 😉
You must, you strange man. 🙂
My deepest condolences to you both. Passing is never easy, but I’m glad Terry got to be there and have some moments with his father. Your remembrance of his life is both beautiful and deeply touching. A true celebration of who he was, I can see his spirit in your words. May he rest in peace.
Nina
Thanks Nina. We are so grateful that Terry spent this last week with his father when he was still lucid. Looking back on the past summer we spent in Ohio, we now just focus on the beautiful times spent with his father. We will miss him dearly. For me, he was the father I never had.
What a lovely remembrance, LuAnn. My condolences to Terry.
Thanks so much Carol.
My condolences to you both, it is hard to lose a dad, but the love for him will live on. Glad you had some time with him before to cherish!
Thanks Ute. We are blessed to have had him for so many years.
morris and you both were extremely fortunate to be able to spend so much time together towards the end. What a wonderful gift.
We truly do consider our time with him a beautiful gift. Hope you and Les are doing well David.
A beautiful heartfelt tribute to your father-in-law.
And – what a sweet picture of him.
May his soul rest in peace.
{Hugs}
Thanks RoSy. He was a sweet, gentle man.
What a touching tribute, LuAnn, and so beautifully written too. We lost a parent last fall, and it is so achingly sad. Our warmest wishes to Terry.
Thanks Emily. We miss him dearly but are so thankful for the years we had with him and the knowing that he is no longer suffering.
Our condolences on the loss of Terry’s father. It’s wonderful you had the last few months to spend time with him. Those memories will last for the rest of your lives.
Thanks Sue. We feel blessed to have had the time with him.
My thoughts and condolences are with you both. This is a wonderful tribute my friend and those priceless memories will keep you smiling in the years to come.
Thanks Ste J. Our gentle spirit has moved on but he has left us with some beautiful memories.
LuAnn – Tamara’s and my condolences go out to you and Terry at this time. You and your famiiy are in our thoughts and prayers. We never knew your father-in-law but your comments were a great tribute to a man who has definitely impacted the lives of people around him! Take care of yourselves right now and please stay in touch!
Thanks so much Mike. Your kind words mean so much. We will definitely keep in touch with you and Tamara. We will be in So Cal this winter and hopefully we can connect.
Thank you all for keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. The outpouring of concern and sympathy from all of Lu’s blog friends (mine too I guess!) has been absolutely overwhelming.
Even though Lu writes the blog, it’s about both of you, Terry, and I think most of the followers of her blog feel that they know you, too, even though you may have never met. Your family is our family.
What a beautiful post about your father-in-law. How wonderful that you all got to spend that special time together.
We are very grateful for that time. It would be wonderful if everyone had quality time with a loved one before their passing.
he was surely a great and kind man, and through your posts, we have had the gift of knowing him.
He was Lisa. Thank you.
My condolences at the passing of your father in law. I shed a tear reading your post, it reminded me of my dad’s passing a few months ago, this is a beautiful tribute. My love and prayers to you both!
And mine are returned to you on the passing of your father. May you find joy in the memories you and your father made.
Thanks LuAnn! You’re so kind!!
I am sorry for your loss and that I did not know of your father’s passing sooner.
It happened in April, 7th to be precise. I think I wrote a post about it prior to his passing and after. I still miss him because we’re quite close, he was 76.
I am subscribing again to your blog as I have not been receiving notification of new posts.
That’s cool LuAnn, thanks!
It’s wonderful that you and Terry found that time to be with them. Really showed both of your concerns and affections to others around you. My condolences, Lu. It sounds like he lived a good life, and his spirit remains.
Thanks Rommel. His spirit does remain and we were fortunate to have had to the time to spend with Morris. Both of us have lovely memories to hold onto. 🙂
All my love to both you and Terry during this passage in your lives, LuAnn. 🙂 xo
Thanks so much Penny! We are feeling much gratitude for the many years we were blessed to have had Morris in our lives.