"Well done, good and faithful servant"
First of all, thank you to everyone for your prayers, notes of sympathy, phone calls, visits etc. these past few days. I think I can say on behalf of the family that we have been blessed with wonderful family and friends and we have been encouraged through our grief.
When my dad passed away Tuesday morning he was ready to go Home. He knew he was leaving his frail earthly frame to be with his Lord and Saviour, free of cancer, heart disease and painful joints and muscles. Just a few weeks ago he told a doctor that he was a covenant child and wasn't afraid of the future. What a comfort and blessing!
We noticed when we arrived home in Canada last September he was much more frail than when we last saw him. He has battled a dilbilated disease for about five years causing him much pain and discomfort but never did we think he would leave us just three short months later. We see God's providence knowing that despite being disappointed when the visa's we're denied, we were able to spend that time with mom and dad here at home and His plan was to be carried out.
Three weeks ago he went for a stomach biopsy which came back inconclusive. The results baffled the doctors as they were fairly certain it would confirm the diagnosis of gastric cancer. A CT scan was completed last week and a second biopsy was scheduled for this past Monday however one look at Dad and the doctor admitted him to hospital on the spot. A mere 15 hours later, he suffered a seizure and went into cardiac arrest. He was called Home to glory at 6:00 a.m.
The nurse who was with him assured us he wasn't in pain and was comfortable. We never expected him to pass away so quickly so you can just imagine our shock when we received the phone call. It was numbing and we will the void of his presence in our family. We will miss him especially at this time of year. Looking back from a week to today, I think we're still numb. It's hard to believe he's not here but I truly believe he knew his time was near. Even though we are 99% certain it was the cancer that took him, to this day we don't have definitive diagnosis but that's OK. His time had come and he went when called. God knew that he was too weak for radiation, chemo therapy or surgery. His work on earth was done.
We as family were comforted at the funeral service yesterday with the words of Deut. 33:27(a), which also happened to be mom and dad's wedding text almost 47 years ago:
"The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you."
Dad - August 2006