Loosing loved ones

[Randy Moore]

In light of a few members loved ones being sick or..........

I was lucky in that I got to talk to my Dad just before he passed away almost 3 years ago. Mom and him live/lived in SW Missouri on Table Rock Lake.

Dad called me, which was unusual, on a Sunday afternoon. We talked for about 30 minutes. We talked about everything under the sun except his possible passing. Dad was in poor health and going down quick. When he decided to end the call he told me "Good bye", he always ended the conversations with "So long" or Bye" or "Se you later".

When I got off the phone I was crying like a baby. I told LOML that Dad had said Good bye and that I felt he would be gone very soon. When I got home from work the next afternoon, Pam, the LOML, met me at the door, with her hands held out to me. She just looked at me for a few seconds, not saying a word. I said that Dad was gone and she said "Yes". Dad was 83 y/o and the time of his death on June 23, 2003.

I call my Mom often, but not enough. She is 91 y/o this week and still drives-THAT scares me. She is in good health for being that old.

You never know when a loved one will leave us nor do you know when you time will come. So every moring I give the LOML a hug and a kiss and tell her I love her, she does the same thing to me. I am in construction, which is somewhat dangerous although not the most, and exposed to fall hazards, electrical shocks and falling material. So call you Parents, brothers, sisters and tell them you love them.

I am not posting this to get any sympathy or anything from the folks here. I am letting you know from first hand experience that time is precious and short to be here on this planet.

Thank you for you time and EVERYONE CALL TOU PARENTS OR OTHER LOVED ONES. NOW

[Tyler Howell]

Hey Randy,
Hear ya! and thanks. I've call my mom everyday for six years ever since she got sick. Just to say hi and check in. Tough thing about the hospice is she doesn't have a phone they'll put me through if I ask but those poor nuns are running ragged as is.
I see her more now than before, but those short calls every morning were part of our routine. I miss them.
It's not a bad way to start of the day.;)

[Robert Mickley]

Weird I just got off the phone with Mom just a little bit ago. She was 92 in Jan.

[Jerry Olexa]

Randy, very well said. You are so right. My Mom and Dad are both gone and I miss them very much. Time is precious esp with those you love. Enjoy them and honor them while you can...

[Charlie Knauer]

Randy, great post. I end each day with a call to mom who is 81. I have done this for 15 years or so. I can tell by her voice if everything is ok or not. I lost my dad 31 years ago and remember our last day together. I have a hard time going to my shop sometimes because his tools are there. I keep them as a reminder of what a great man he was. I remember my dad talking to me about where things were and what needed to be done as if he knew it was his last day.

[Frank Pellow]

Well said Randy!

Both my mother and father are gone; Mum for 15 years and Dad for 50 years and I still miss them both. Dad's death when I was only 13, taught me the very valuable lesson that life is very fragile and that we should never take any of my loved ones for granted. Let them know frequently that you appreciate them and that you love them.

[Keith Starosta]

I will never forget the phone call I got that Sunday evening, November 24, 2002. It was my sister, who was at my folks place at Houghton Lake, MI. She was hysterical, barely understandable, and I could hear the paramedics working on my Dad in the background. He was basically gone at that point, but they all knew him, were his friends, so they kept working. I wasn't there. I was five states away, not able to hold my Mom, not able to do something....anything....other than hold a phone receiver in my hand. Somewhat like Randy, I actually talked to my Dad only two hours before he died. I had a question about, of all things, rabbeting bits and his opinions on which brand I should get for an upcoming project. He told me Whiteside. He liked quality. He was a quality man.

As it so happens, this morning I am missing the funeral service for a beloved uncle, who passed away last Thursday. I couldn't get back to Detroit. My wife, who is five months pregnant, also has pneumonia and is in rough shape, but getting better. My heart and my prayers go out to my family, who I wish I could be with today.

Randy, thanks for starting this thread. It's been cathardic to type this out.

All the best,

- Keith