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| My dad at the Oak Park Arms' Senior Prom, June 8, 2012, wearing the crown he received as prom king several years ago. |
In the Enchanted Tarot Deck by Amy Zerner, the suit of Cups is represented by hearts, which works out perfectly for a deck filled with sentiment and softness. Sure, in a reading the Cups can, at times, have an overtly sentimental leaning, or get caught up in drama, but overall, there's a sweetness and gentleness to a tarot Cup. Or, in this case, a Heart.
The man in the photo is my Daddy. Dan Turlow, the most wonderful, loving, kind soul you'll ever meet. He's been through a lot in the last few years, dealing with a variety of health issues (a little dementia here, a little high blood pressure there, a little too much to list right here). The coup de grace occurred last month when he stopped breathing after a bad bout with his heart. We had a DNR (do not resuscitate) order on him (suggested/recommended by his doctor) but in an interesting turn of events, Ben was there at the moment his breathing stopped. The ER doctor asked, "Should we resuscitate?" And Ben said, "Yes." We were under the belief that a DNR was used in cases of dire need, like a Terri Schiavo case. But we soon learned that, no, DNR is just that; do not resuscitate, period. At that very moment, I was speeding over to the hospital in my car, praying that I would be there if my dad passed. I had missed my Mom's passing and I couldn't bear the thought of my Dad passing without me there, to hold his hand, to help him cross over.
Dad no longer has a DNR in his records because, well, he's bigger and better than that. Should/when the time comes when a Big Decision has to be made about whether he can have a good quality of life in terms of his physical condition,. I can make that decision. But, until then, no DNRs. Living will, yes. But anything as drastic as a DNR, no sir.
He had a pacemaker installed (is it "installed" or "inserted"? I don't want him to sound like he's a Honda that had a new carburetor "installed" - yeesh!) and is doing better than he did for the months prior to his whole bad heart health bout.
Look at that smile. The twinkle in his eyes. Yep, he's the same guy who took me to Disneyland when I was four, who shared ghost stories with me, who sat with me when we both ate our ice cream cones slowly, savoring every bit.
Daddy is the King of Hearts - with a brand new ticker to totally seal the deal! He's the epitome of the card - tender, loving, sentimental and emotional (sometimes to a fault). A champion to those who enjoy slowing down and smelling the sweet things life has to offer. A lover and appreciator of the arts and the good life. The type of guy you know will always have your back, and will generously love you with his entire, grand, breathtakingly beautiful soul.
That's my dad.
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