Empty. Homestead Blog Hop 429

Empty

An empty bed.

And an empty chair.

There’s an empty place in our hearts as well.

And a lonely cat, who faithfully cuddled with Dad, invited or not.

Dad went to sleep, and awaits the last trump.

We don’t mourn as those who have no hope, nor do we wish him back to his life of suffering and confusion. But we do grieve some.

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Oddly, I’ve shed few tears. Seeing him in pain at the last, the many milestones where we grieved his passing even before he breathed his last–these brought tears and torment.

• When he didn’t know our names
• When he could not understand a joke
• When music no longer swayed him and he could not strum his guitar
• When he struggled just to drink
• And finally, when he looked at me and didn’t see me–that was hard. Tears flowed then.

For now, we endeavor to remember the good times, that they may blur out some of the final days. Not erase them, for they are part of the whole, but the end is not everything. My dad lived a jolly life. He loved all, and was loved by all.

Lewy took him, but it not erase the kind man that my dad was. This Sabbath, we will gather to remember that.

I fully expect to see angels resurrect Dad at the second coming. He knew our Lord personally and talked to him often. He is an inspiration.

Odd as it seems, someone will sit in that empty chair. Furniture will get rearranged, and changed. Yes, that bed, that room, that chair–they won’t stay vacant.

Empty Shoes

All but his shoes–Empty they will stay, because no one in the world could fill them like Dad did.

Welcome to the Homestead Blog Hop!

Homestead Blog Hop will take place every Wednesday and is for all things homesteading: real food recipes, farm animals, crafts, DIY, how-to’s, gardening, anything from-scratch, natural home/health, self-sufficiency, self-reliance, natural remedies, essential oils, & more! Basically anything related to homesteading.

Meet Your Hosts!

Follow Their Blogs

Natasha – Houseful of Nicholes (Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram)

Laurie – Ridge Haven Homestead (Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram)

Liz – The Cape Coop (Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram)

Kelly – Simple Life Mom (Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram)

FEATURED POSTS from the Last Homestead Blog Hop

Each week we take turns choosing three posts to feature. Each post will be shared on all social media platforms by all of the hosts! Here are the features from Last Week’s Hop:

1. How to Make Salt Dough Heart Garland from Decorative Inspirations

2. Declutter Your Home One Day at a Time from Simple Living Country Gal

3. Easy Laundry Hacks for Frugal Moms from Moms Are Frugal

Congrats! Feel free to grab the featured on button for your post.

Just right click and ‘save image as…‘

Guidelines for this Get-Together:

1. Click on the “Add your Link” Button below and add a great image of your project or recipe. Make sure you link to the page of your family friendly post – not the main page of your blog.
2. Link up to three posts each week.
3. Try to visit at least a few other blogs at the party. Be sure to leave a comment to let them know you stopped by.
4. Link your post back to the Homestead Blog Hop. If the hop isn’t linked to your post then you cannot be featured. All featured posts will be shared on all hosts’ social media channels.
5. Please link up posts that you haven’t linked to the hop before. You are welcome to link old posts from your blog.
6. By joining the party, you are giving the hosts permission to use one photo from your post with a link back to your site if it is selected as one of next week’s Features.
7. This is a family-friendly link up meant to inspire and motivate the homesteader in all of us.

Let the Party Begin!

Join Our Pinterest Board

Follow all your hosts on Pinterest and send me a message that you’d like to be added to our Homestead Blog Hop group board. The only rule is to only add posts that you’ve also added here.