My Dad

Today I went to see my father at the nursing home. He was sleeping, as I looked over him, memories of my childhood filled my mind. I remember this strong, funny, and great man, now he is reduced to tremors and memory loss. The person who I once knew is no longer. The person I once was is forever changed. I look out the window to find a crisp, spring, sunny day; my father would have been outside planting his garden or getting the lawn mower ready for summer. A tear falls from my face, and the days of father son talks, are gone. The questions of how life is going and if I need money are locked in a dark past of what was. My father was a welcoming and giving man; all were welcome at his table and no one was ever treated differently. A man of contradiction is now a man lost in the world of dark shadows and time. I miss you dad, and I love you. Sleep well, push the shadows away and dream.