I have watched him over the last year go in and out of the hospital for various health problems mostly to do with his heart. He has had low blood pressure a number of times and several infections that have been an issue. He has a slipped disk that gives him great pain and is inoperable. Last year a couple of times I thought I had almost lost him. It is hard to watch your parents health deteriorate. When I was little I always felt that Pops was invincible but as an adult I realize that this is not so.
Pops started researching his genealogy several years ago and has been able to trace my family name back to the times of William the Conqueror. He is very proud of the work he has done and has been writing that history down in a book form that he hopes to leave to his grand children. Unfortunately he had no sons and so the family name will end when he ends. I think that is what prompted him to write his book. The book is well over 700 pages, and tells all about his life, his father's life (who was a fishing merchant and owned a successful business) and continues down through the family history with all kinds of notes on the history of Newfoundland, which is where we are from, and even contains notes on the socio/economic history of England and what brought my family to Newfoundland and eventually Canada in the first place.
Dad is a trooper and it amazes me the amount of work and time he has put into this book. It amazes me how many times he has pulled back from ill health where we wondered if he would come out of the hospital. Just yesterday he went swimming in the local outdoor pool. He loves his children and he adores his grandchildren. We will pick him up later and take the guy out for lunch. He will enjoy it I think. What a better way than to spend his day with his grand kids who love him immensely. I look forward to this day with my Dad because he is someone who I think deserves the best.
Happy Birthday Dad. I hope this is a good year for you.
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