Father's Day 2010

This was Jackson's second Father's Day and I'm sure it hasn't been the better one of the two. Jackson's grandma has been in and out of the hospital for about a month now and things haven't been getting all that much better. She's battling congestive heart failure, kidney failure, and low oxygen levels due to the many years of chronic smoking. She is such an amazing woman and really has surpassed the life expectancy that she should have had due to her smoking. With that said, Jackson and I have been at the hospital over the passed few days much more than home and I know because of personal experience, it's not fun to prepare yourself to have to say good-bye to a loved one. Today, he has been up there because grandma has taken a turn for the worse and they really don't know how many days she has left here, so they're spending as much time with her and they can (they means Jackson and his family). When I got off the phone with him about 30 minutes ago, hospice was coming in to do an evaluation on her to see if she qualifies to stay there until she does pass. No one likes to know that they are going to die, and most people who die in the their elderly years also have lost much of their comprehension and brain power, not grandma. She is sharp as a tac to this point, unless she's on her morphene because of her constant extreme pain and she knows everything going on around her. What is going to take her is NOT her mind, it's her body. We now dread when the phone rings and it's someone from his family, because we don't want to hear that she is gone, but one thing is for sure..She's lived an amazing life and has provided for EVERYONE in her family at some point. If and when she does die, we will grieve and mourn her death, but we will know with all of our hearts that she knew how much we love her and how much we appreciate everything she's done. The pictures are at Jackson's other grandparents' house, where we went for a brief while this morning so we could somewhat celebrate our wonderful daddy, and thank Jacky for being a wonderful father-in-law.

Jackson has been so strong in all of this, and he really is like a rock. He is by no means the most affectionate man and doesn't always do thoughtful romantic things, but he is by far the strongest, most reliable man I know. He definitely puts me to shame in situations like this...I am a basket case and he for the most part is stronger than anyone else. I'm certain that his heart is breaking, but around the family he doesn't let that show. I know he said when Laine was in ICU, he cried the entire way to the hospital in his truck, alone..I'm guessing that's what's going to happen this time too. I'm not going to do a tribute to grandma yet because at this moment, she is still here :) I love you Jackson and you are my rock and my best friend. I LOVE you! Ok, I love you too dad, and you are great, but this post was taken up by your son-in-law.