My Adorable Dad…

Hearing my name startled me. It was after 9pm and this was the second time today I had been in that hospital. I arrived at 7:30 am so that I was there for the doctor’s rounds, back again at 5pm. “Suzy, why are you here?” I turned around and there was Christiana, my father’s favorite nurse from the 5th floor, where he was for a week. She said she heard he was discharged today, and now seeing me concerned her that something happened. I let her know that he was discharged to the acute rehab center in the hospital. I was just leaving there. She breathed such a sigh of relief, I caught a little laugh in my throat. Wow, she must have really liked him.  

She smiled her huge million-dollar smile and said “Oh thank goodness!” She had gotten scared. It became obvious that she just loved my dad, and my dad adored her. I hugged and thanked her for taking such good care of him. She told me she would go visit. She was a fairly new nurse but had a wonderful way about her, filled with compassion but firm. She told me he was her favorite patient. In fact he was all of the nurse’s favorite patient.  

Seventeen days in total between the hospital and rehab. He did make a lot of friends with the nurses.  He was a very good patient, did as he was told and didn’t ring the bell incessantly. He really didn’t bother them at all. He also made friends with the food delivery people, the transport people and his physical and occupational therapists. People were always hugging him, repeating things he shared. Everyone talked about how adorable he is, how sharp his brain his and they loved that he was veteran. He wears his hat proudly, US Navy Veteran, WWII.  

My dad was not only a great patient, he attracted people to him and impacted each person he met. His smile and giggle became known. He was really loved by a lot of people at the hospital. I found myself a little surprised by how many people he impacted. Why? 

Now I think my dad is adorable, so I get that people would love him. But this was different. This was living proof of a higher vibration attracting a higher vibration. My dad’s vibration and energy was vibrant during this time, especially while he was in rehab, I don’t generally think of my father with a high vibration. I guess he has become such a bit of a loner the last few years that I didn’t think about his vibration, or energy at all. When I was with him, he was more somber, more negative. Nor did I see him with people other than family for the most part, I hadn’t seen him with strangers in a long time. Watching him, kidding around, enjoying learning things about nurses, aids, everyone was eye-opening for me.  

As a younger man, he had been fairly social. He was in a men’s bowling league for years, card games, friends who helped build things at our house, he had a social life. When he retired from engineering and began his limousine business he was very charming. He talked to all types of people and created great long term loyal customers because of his engagement. He wasn’t a loner growing up but had become one over the years. His lack of mobility made going place harder and harder. Losing Uncle Tony certainly changed his social life a bit. And he barely left the house since my mom died. 

Now he says things like, “Do you know who her cousin is?” “Do you know where he lives?” He had all kinds of information about people.  He attracted such attention and ate it all up.  And he lit up rooms.  

I saw a side of my dad I had missed for such a long time. I hadn’t seen the vibrant social Sam in a long time. It was so nice to watch and even better to be around.  It also made me wonder if my vibration was even as high as his or did I have some work to do to shed some worry, shed some disappointment and expectations and be more mindful and in the moment to raise it up. My gratitude could use some work!  

While my dad has been in the hospital I have begun to go back to some of my tools that enable me to be my best self. I needed to do this to deal with being in the hospital two months after losing mom there, and I am working towards better wellbeing for me. The number one tool I went back to was prayer and meditation. I have prayed and meditated each day. It has helped me remain centered and calm and helped focus on positive results. This also is beginning to help me have more faith. The more my dad’s vibration stays high, the more faith I have that my vibration is elevating….the more faith I have. I am also working toward sleeping 7 hours a night., I know that sleep equates to healing. I see a difference since I have been sleeping less, My joints hurt more. My brain is foggy. I am not myself.   

Watching my dad made me assess what I was doing and has me working toward elevating my vibration. He has been a role model patient and role model period. As we were getting ready to leave the hospital his nurses all came in and hugged him. I smiled, knowing that he impacted each one of them, and their kindness to him was rewarded. My cute dad….making friends, being a force of love.