I truly believe that every loss in our lives contains within it a lesson. Although I’ve learned my share of those lessons in the nearly fifty years I’ve been alive this is new territory for me. On Monday, November 9th my father, Verlo Victor Walton, lost his battle with Covid-19. The hospice nurses arranged a Zoom call for us to say our goodbyes. He would have turned eighty-one in just a few weeks.
People are one hundred percent correct when they say nothing can prepare you for the loss of a parent. I’m still getting used to the fact I can’t just pick up the phone and hear my dad’s voice or tell him a joke and coax out one of his signature laughs. He taught me so many things – honesty, resilience, how to catch a baseball, tie a neck tie, sharpen a knife, and shine my shoes.
Grieving is a strange process and I would venture a guess that it’s as unique as a fingerprint. Nobody can tell you how you should grieve and you shouldn’t even try to predict how it will unfold for you. All you can do is let it happen naturally.
For me, I oscillate back and forth between going about my day as I normally would, thinking about things like crypto, world events, and my next book’s release, to feeling a great void and sadness when something reminds me of him. I assume it will be that way to a greater or lesser degree from this point forward. I’m sure I’ll discover more lessons as time unfolds.
I realize how lucky we were to have had him as long as we did. I’m choosing to focus on the fact that he’s no longer suffering and replaying in my head all of the good memories we shared.
Here’s a slideshow that my wife put together, it's just a small sliver of memories I’d like to share:
I know there are many differing opinions about this virus. What I can tell after communicating with the Covid ICU team in the hospital my father was in for the past few weeks is that the dangers the virus poses are very real, especially for the vulnerable among us. If you feel that Covid-19 a hoax or its danger is exaggerated please consider those weaker than yourself as you go about your day. Wearing a mask while in public and washing your hands is such a small sacrifice.
Dad, you were a true original. You were loved by everyone who knew your kind heart, wonderful sense of humor, and giving spirit. You'll be missed tremendously.
Take care of yourselves and one other,
Eric
I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
Alarm Clock Dawn, one of the first full length novels published on the blockchain, and the book that started it all for me can be found HERE. Or Click Here to read it for free on the Steemit blockchain
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