Dad's Visit

Last week my dad came to visit for Jared's baptism. My mom wasn't able to come and it was different just having my dad here. My dad is great at jobs around the house and I felt kind of bad because I had a bunch of projects waiting for him when he got here. He really is happiest when he's working on the house though and I think he enjoyed it. He installed programmable thermostats, fixed holes in the walls, replaced electrical outlets, fixed some plumbing and hung towel racks. It was fun to have him here and I realized how grateful I am that he is still in good enough health he can travel.

A few weeks ago my friend Don ran a 50 mile race in Ogden Valley. He asked me to pace him for the last 15 miles and when I was getting ready to go I mentioned to my kids that Don is about the same age as my dad. Their response was "and he can still run?!!!" My kids don't really know the dad that I knew growing up. He took us camping, hiking and fishing. He used to love to ski and he's even the one that got me into running. I remember going to watch him run 10Ks and thinking it looked like so much fun! He was always a middle of the pack runner but he enjoyed it and I admired him for it. One of my first 5Ks was in Island Park on the 4th of July. That was also one of Dad's last races. He didn't mind at all that I beat him. It was a very small race and even though he came in last he won a blue ribbon for his age group! Dad got really busy with work after that and never really had time for running anymore. Here's a picture of my family in 1985 in Yellowstone. Too bad Dad has a hat on or you could see he really hasn't always had gray hair!

As the years went on my family saw my dad's health begin to decline but it was so slow it was hard to really notice what was happening. I can't even begin to explain the emotions I felt when I found out he had been diagnosed with M.S. My dad's sister had suffered from M.S. and we had seen the devastating effects it had on her family for years before she passed away. All I could think about was the same thing happening to my dad and I desperately wanted my children to know their grandpa. We soon found out that medications have improved a lot since my aunt suffered from M.S. but there is still no cure. I don't think a day goes by that my mom and dad aren't affected by his disease but he does have good and bad days. I know it is so hard for him not to be able to do so many things that he used to love to do but I'm so grateful for the things he still can do. We had a wonderful time touring Rome with my parents this spring. I think my dad had the trip of a lifetime. He even ran half a block trying to catch an over crowded bus! We had to do lots of walking and he did so much better than I thought. I'm grateful for the days he feels well enough to go to the beach, the zoo, or the park with us. I'm glad he can still travel to Utah and see my kids in their games and activities. Sure their are a lot of things he's had to miss when he's not feeling well but I will cherish every minute that he can spend with my family.