A Life Transformed

 

Dad lived 47 days from diagnosis to death. But 42 of those days were filled with the best days of his life. Over the course of 6 weeks, Dad was completely transformed and made into a new man. Don't get me wrong, anyone who knew my Dad knew that he was already an incredible person. He was kind, gentle, generous, humble, and if you ever got into a conversation with him he made you feel that you were the most important person he could be talking to. And all of that was genuine.

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But one thing that always evaded Dad was faith. He never felt accepted by God, and he struggled to believe that God could possibly love him. 

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I want to invite you to know Dad's story. Over the course of the last 6 weeks of Dad's life, our family collectively took good record of the many things that were transpiring in Dad's heart, and my hope not just for our family, but for everyone who loved Dad, is that we could have a place where all of this could be found in one spot.

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The following story was collected though many of the Caring Bridge updates I did, which were made on the day of the events written about, so you can know that the memory was fresh and the details are accurate. Additionally, when I would make those Caring Bridge updates, I would double check things with Mom to make sure I had my facts and quotes straight.

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I've highlighted Dad's words in red to help you scan easily. For me, it's his words that have the most impact, and seeing them singled out is helpful for me to hold his memory in my heart. Keep in mind, also, that any time I have his words in quotation marks, those are the statements that I was most careful and cautious with to make sure I was quoting him accurately.

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Part 1: Unexpected Shock

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