I tempted fate in my last post. I did everythign but say something I shouldnt have.
Since my last post, my father has passed away. He meant a great deal to me. I never told him how much untill it was to late. He influnced me in my life in so many ways. He was the one that always supported me no matter what. He was the one unkowingly influnced my decision to join the Navy. My earliest memories are of him coming home in uniform, of my mother and me waiting on the pier for him to come home, of him taking me on the ships and showing me around. That is what I will always remember about him. I still remember the smell of the old ships and everyonce in a while I will smell it around town somewhere and it remdins me of him. I do miss him so very much. To me it happend so very suddenly. I knew he had been having breathing problems over the last several years, and that he had been going to the ER on occasion but I never knew it was that bad. The week it happend, is still a blur, I got a call from mom on the sunday before he passed that he was in the hospital and it was bad, he had some surgery a couple of weeks prior for his shouldar and I thought it might be becuase of that. But it was not it was breathing problems. Somehting happend, he was not himself, he was very delerious did not know who Mom was and called my brother by my name. It was very scarey, being out here and not knowing. I called mom twice to 3 times a day to see what was happening, and it was doom and gloom everytime till thursday, thursday he had taken an upswing he was stronger and knew who mom was and seemed to be getting better. Friday was still more improvement, Saturday morning I was getting ready for work when I called, and he was gone. In a heartbeat he was gone, I was demolished, I did not know what to do, I think my lucky stars for Addey, she means so much to me, she got me through and I do not deserve such a wonderful careing person such as her. I called work and let them know what happend, and I took off, I went home and helped as best I could.
I helped take care of Mom and was there for her, I helped her clean out 2 rooms and get stuff ready for my brother to move back home. I took only a few things with me of my fathers, one is a little wooden figure of a sailor that sat on his dresser for as long as I could remember. Some of his clothing that fit me and some things of his from the Navy that we took to my In Laws to be framed, and one of his knives. There are a few more things that I do want, but mom is not ready to let them go yet, and I fully understand and acept that. The one thing that I do want more than anything is my fathers bosun pipe. It is so very special to me. When I was very young I remember he would bring it home after everytime he would go to sea and polish it up so very prety. As i grew older he would occaisonlay blow it in the mornings to wake me up to get ready for school.
I know I have been allover the place in the blog today, but I jsut had to get these thoguhts out, and share some memories of my father. RIP James R Brady I love you now and always, may I turn out to be 1/2 the father you were.
