Rudy's Room
Manor Grove Nursing Home
St. Louis, Missouri
Manor Grove Nursing Home
St. Louis, Missouri
I approached his room with trepidation, not knowing what to expect. He was sleeping soundly on his back, not in his usual fetal position. Apparently, that's pretty much all he does these days. I looked around his tiny room, the center of his universe now. I saw a TV that's rarely turned off, tuned to The Newlywed Game, a wheelchair, a package of adult diapers. There were some framed photos of family neatly lined up on the window sill, a bulletin board randomly covered with pictures of familiar places, a plastic jack-o-lantern and a small table-top Christmas tree--a few reminders of life as he once knew it.
I stood and watched him sleep for awhile. It's remarkable how good he looks at 91. He's smaller now but he still has a full head of snowy white hair. He didn't stir, even when I made noise. He looked peaceful, not agitated like the last time I saw him. I wondered what he was dreaming about--his Belgian family in Mishawaka, the Navy, Swarthmore College, electrical engineering, his English bride Rosemary, his four daughters, his beloved Michigan...
A stroke is a cruel thing. It has robbed him of his dignity and his quality of life. He can no longer will his body to do what he wants it to do. So he sleeps...
I didn't wake him. I wanted to. I wanted to see if he still knew me. But I didn't want to intrude upon the one place that gives him peace--his dreams. Dad, I hope you're dreaming of Halloween candy, golden retrievers, duck hunting, beach picnics, Point Betsie Lighthouse, Tennessee Ernie Ford, crossword puzzles, "Blame It on Rio," Studebakers..............
As a tribute to my dad, Steve and I have decided to name our Earth Roamer "Rudy."
I stood and watched him sleep for awhile. It's remarkable how good he looks at 91. He's smaller now but he still has a full head of snowy white hair. He didn't stir, even when I made noise. He looked peaceful, not agitated like the last time I saw him. I wondered what he was dreaming about--his Belgian family in Mishawaka, the Navy, Swarthmore College, electrical engineering, his English bride Rosemary, his four daughters, his beloved Michigan...
A stroke is a cruel thing. It has robbed him of his dignity and his quality of life. He can no longer will his body to do what he wants it to do. So he sleeps...
I didn't wake him. I wanted to. I wanted to see if he still knew me. But I didn't want to intrude upon the one place that gives him peace--his dreams. Dad, I hope you're dreaming of Halloween candy, golden retrievers, duck hunting, beach picnics, Point Betsie Lighthouse, Tennessee Ernie Ford, crossword puzzles, "Blame It on Rio," Studebakers..............
As a tribute to my dad, Steve and I have decided to name our Earth Roamer "Rudy."
