I’m feeling so sad this morning for my husband. He learned last week that his father was sick and in the hospital. Thankfully, he was able to talk to his dad on the phone. Unfortunately, with covid he wasn’t able to go see him because of visiting restrictions. His plan was to go see his dad once he was discharged from the hospital.
My husband and his dad had somewhat of an estranged relationship. There were so many dynamics at play that kept them apart, leaving my husband feeling abandoned at an early age. When my husband was in his late twenties, he and his dad reunited. It only lasted for a year or two before they drifted apart. Although they didn’t remain “close” the short time he had with his dad seemed to be enough to make up for lost time.
When my husband received the news his father had passed, he cried as I held him in my arms. Having been married to this man for over three decades, I sensed he was experiencing not just the loss of his dad, but the loss of a father-son relationship that for whatever reason never fully blossomed. I gently reminded my man that his father didn’t have it easy. My father-in-law’s mother died when he was five years old and he was shuffled from house to house, until he started fending for himself at a young age.
I reminded my husband that he was given the precious opportunity to talk to his dad before his death. And to cherish, although few, the good times he had with his father.
*This post was written on May 4, 2021.
Feel free to chime in to share your experience of losing a loved one.
Until next time,
Suzette
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