I don't know who originally said that, but I know it from my Dad as one of his favorite sayings.
As I go through the process of saying goodbye to Dad, I think of that phrase. That is the way Dad lived his life, not dwelling on the inevitable reaching of the destination, but on enjoying his long journey through this life. And it has been a long one...he would be 87 in June.
Dad isn't gone yet, but for all intents and purposes, he is no longer with us. On Thursday, he suffered a massive stroke while he and Mom were staying with my Aunt Marie here in Florida. They got him to the hospital very quickly, and a CAT scan showed that the stroke was caused by a clot. This made him a good candidate for that "clot buster" drug, so Mom gave the okay for that. A subsequent CAT scan showed extensive bleeding in his brain, and even surgery would not have meant a good outcome. The damage was just too severe.
My sisters and I and my niece flew down on Friday, and after speaking with the doctor as soon as we got to the hospital, we agreed with my Mom that we would go no further in his treatment. Since we all made the decision, Mom won't have to bear the brunt of that decision alone. I believe it was the right thing to do, and Dad and Mom had already talked about such a thing, and even he and I had talked about it. He didn't want to be left lingering in a vegetative state any more than any of us would.
We have said our goodbyes, and now we are simply waiting for him to take that bigger step of his journey. It's only a matter of time. I'm terribly sad, as you can imagine, but I'm also resigned...and I also know that he had a great life with many adventures along the way. I'm sure I'll write more about Dad before too long, but for now suffice it to say that he was well-loved, well-respected, and it has been my honor to be his youngest daughter.
I'm writing this because I'm a little too wired to go to sleep just yet, because it helps me to try to put it into words, and because I hope I can convey a little bit about what a damn fine guy was my Dad.