The (not so) Secret Life of a Cat Lady

Richard William Meadows

December 18, 1950 - August 7, 2010

My father said to me at some point Thursday afternoon, amid moments of lucidity and distance, that he was acquiring new knowledge.  That he was learning new things "up here" as he pointed to his brain. In jest I asked him if it was like Superman in the Fortress of Solitude to which he replied, "I dunno".  I clarified my question explaining that with each crystal he picks up in his Fortress of Solitude, Superman acquires new knowledge of the world he came from. Dad agreed with my analogy.

At around 2:10 or so Saturday afternoon he took his final breaths. Our family had gathered to be with him following the decision to take him off of all meds except morphine and lorazepam.  Since those meds included his heart medications, the likelihood of this being the day increased. It's been exactly one week since bringing him home from rehab. The nurses there gave us 4 - 6 weeks.  I don't blame anyone.  I am not angry.  I am not even as sad as I was a week ago. It has been my privilege to witness heaven on earth and the thinning of the veil as my father moved from this life into the next. There is no greater earthly gift.