For those of you have lost a parent or both, how long did you grieve?

I lost my father in 1995 and I still grieve for him. I see things and hear things that remind me of him all of the time, just not as often as I did just after his death. I talk to him at times because I know he is with me. I pray I get to see him again someday.

My father and I had a very close relationship the last 25 years of his life. He grew to depend on me and called on me if he ever needed anything. I came from a large family but daddy would still call me because he knew I would drop everything and help him out when he needed it. When he started failing in health, he depended on me even more. After several trips to the hospital, he would come home and stay with me until he was back on his feet again. He divorced my mother many years before that so getting her to assist was out of the question.

When my dad began to get worse and was getting where he couldn't wait on himself, one of my brothers moved in with him (along with his girlfriend). He did not get along with the woman because he felt she was taking advantage of him by eating his food and living in his home rent free. I tried to get him to come and live with me but he was stubborn and wanted to stay in his own home. I can't say I blame him because he felt more comfortable in his own home. When he made his last trip to the hospital, I promised to take him home with me and he said he was ready to go with me. He never made it out of the hospital. After about three days he passed away and I immediately felt guilty because I didn't take him home with me sooner. I had it in my mind that there should have been something I could have done to convince him to come and stay with me. It might not have made any difference as far as him living any longer but he would have at least been treated much better those last months of his life.

A few nights after my father passed away I had just gotten into bed and I felt someone sit down on the edge of my bed. When I looked to see who it was, my dad looked at me and told me everything was going to be ok and not to feel guilty. I never told anyone about this for a long time and just recently I mentioned it to my son and he gave me a funny look and said that was odd because his grandpa also came to him that same night. (my dad). This conversation with my son gave me the chills because I did not think anyone would ever believe me if I told the story.