Remembering Dad

I decided to take a break from the cattle drive posts today to honor my dad. I was going to do a longer post, but just didn't feel up to it today....it was one year ago today that dad passed away.

My dad loved his family, he loved the land, and he loved to work. He died while working on his beautiful land.

After a month or so of not feeling well and many, many tests, a routine check of his pacemaker showed that the battery had gone out. It had gone out on the day that he had started feeling poorly. When he found out that was what the problem was, and that it was fixable, he had a new lease on life. He was excited to get started on a fencing project. He was in the woods just a few days after he had the operation that replaced his pace maker. He was busy clearing some trees and removing old wire to put in that new fence line....and that was where he died. Doing the work that he loved.

It has been a tough year of loss and of change. We weren't ready for him to leave us....how can you ever be? But I do find a lot of comfort in that he was in a peaceful, beautiful place that he loved, that he was excited about his project, that he didn't suffer....

....and that he fully lived until the day he died. He wouldn't have had it any other way. We love you dad.