Happy Birthday, Dad!

Dad with brother, Kevin, and nephew, Matt,
holding his son, Henry.

Today is my dad's 85 birthday. He still lives alone, maintaining a house and yard all on his own. He also still drives and plans, shops, and prepares his own meals. Plus he walks the pool at the local gym for an hour six days a week.

Nevertheless, there's definitely been a change in dad over the last couple of months. Instead of insisting he can get around just fine, he now admits he can't walk very long without taking a break. He also admits he can no longer tolerate extreme heat and humidity. Within a few minutes he gets dizzy.

For dad to admit weakness is huge, but there are two other more significant signs of his acceptance the end isn't far. First, he's no longer stocking his kitchen. Instead he's using what he has and only buying food to get through another week. And second, he's been going over his copy of his trust. When I gave that binder to him four years ago, he said he never wanted to see "that thing" again.

So while dad might not be the average 85-year-old, no one expects him to reach 90. I just pray he goes quickly without too much pain and without injuring anyone else. But I suppose that's what we all hope for ourselves, too.