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see you soon you beautiful rainy green country you
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waiting around for those winter waves
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A month ago, my dad had a massive left-side stroke. My mom called me as soon as she found out and I flew out that same day from Sydney to Washington, DC to see him before he passed. He was paralyzed on one side, unable to move or speak, and slept most of the day. Seeing him in that state was the most heartbreaking sight I’ve ever experienced, but I can’t begin to explain how important those last moments with him were to me. Before Halie and I went into the hospice room on that Monday afternoon, we were standing on the other side of his door. All of a sudden, we were overcome with laughter- like- hunched over, can barely breathe, tears coming out of our eyes kinda laughter. We were laughing so hard that my mom heard us from inside the room and came outside to bring us in. Not even two minutes later, while we held my dad's hands, did he pass peacefully while tears continued to stream down our faces. I'm not sure exactly what that sudden burst of laughter means. The logical side of me thinks maybe it was just the way our sad, anxious, exhausted bodies decided to cope with what we were about to experience. But then a crazy, hopeful, curious part of my heart wants to believe that must have been his soul that surrounded us in that moment outside his room to, letting us know that he was okay, that we were gonna be okay, and that it was time to move forward and live life with laughter. “...laughter is the only cure for grief. and...love is stronger than death.” - Robert Fulghum
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little baby boat for scale
