Reverse The Order

July marks the month of celebrating the birthdays of 3 important guys in my life. This year, there was special significance.

Hayden turned 14 on July 8th. He will soon be entering high school. He's growing taller and slimmer. I will not be the tallest in the family for much longer!

Here he is getting his traditional birthday spankings. JJ says he can hold him down at least for a few more years. 

JJ is another July baby. Since he turned 41 this year, we were able to use the same candles from Hayden's cake and reverse the order. JJ's birthday is July 18th. He isn't a fan of birthday cake so he got a key lime birthday pie!

The other important guy in my life with a July birthday is my dad. We visited him at Alston Brook that morning. Some of his West Davidson buddies showed up at the same time. I really like how he is looking up and admiring his friends in this shot. These guys faithfully visited my dad the past 7 years in the nursing home. They took him to ball games and around to local high schools and reminisced about the good ole days.

On this day, July 11th, my dad was feeling fine at 69! Sadly, the next day he wasn't feeling well at all. He was struggling with aspiration pneumonia. 

If there are birthdays in heaven, next year he will celebrate there. But I imagine every day in the presence of The Lord is a celebration!

My dad spent a week at the Sticht Center of Baptist Hospital recovering from the pneumonia. I had to give up my role teaching Bible School at the last minute to be there with him in the evenings. God provided another teacher to take my place. It was a roller coaster of a week, with ups and downs.

There were days when he would lift his hand up to the ceiling or the light. He would say things we could not understand.  I wondered if he saw angels. My brother heard him call out my mother's name.

By the end of the week, my dad was doing better and was released to return to Alston Brook on the 18th, JJ's birthday. That morning, he had a visit from the pastor of his church and a church friend, Max. This was pastor Henry's first time meeting my dad. They prayed together, as my dad grabbed the young preacher's hand. Little did we know that days later Henry would be praying at my dad's funeral. I will say that I am do glad that God prompted Henry to visit my dad that day. 

My dad spent one final night at Alston Brook. Perhaps there was someone he needed to see. Maybe he needed one more night at "home" before reaching his heavenly home. I saw him that July 19th morning. I had to go sign some paperwork. He was in his wheelchair in the sitting room. Cartoons were on the tv. I did not stay long but I kissed him good-bye. My brother Jake stopped in a few hours later. Daddy was not doing well. They needed to take him back to Baptist.

By the time we got there, he was in the ER with a tube down his throat which enabled him to breathe. He'd aspirated again. Daddy tried to pull the tube out. He squeezed our hands to confirm that he wanted it removed. We were able to be there with him, although we were out of the room at the exact moment he took his last breath. They called us into the room. Our Father had called daddy home about 11:30 pm on July 19th. There is even significance that he passed away on the 19th. My mom died November 19, 2004. 

I will miss my dad. I am sad but at peace.  I put this picture on Facebook stating, "Here is my dad walking me down the aisle. Now he walks with Jesus." I say walks with a smile as my dad was wheelchair bound for years.

Both of my parents are in heaven together. And I will join them one day.

Here is the next generation of the Crim family. The legacy lives on! There is no reversing God's order!