The Last Goodbye - 1. The Last Goodbye

A short an simple message... your time is limited. There is some great description in here concerning the loss of consciousness. Keep on writing... Keep up the good work

5 minutes ago, Backwoods Boy said:

I was puzzled when I received a notification about this because I didn't recognize the author.  After I read it I knew, and I cried with you.  It's a story from your heart, and the way you wrote it is perfect.  I hope this is only the first of many.

Thank you, that means a lot to me. I'm not sure when, or if I'll write again, it's tempting though. This I didn't even think about, like said in the notes it was just something in head when I woke up and had to write. I gave it a lot of thought before posting and I'm happy that I did.

4 minutes ago, Marty said:

I could really relate to this story. It brought back memories of my mother's death fifteen years ago, and the painful decisions that myself and my six siblings had to make in order to respect her wishes.

I'm happy that you can relate to the story, but I'm also sorry if it brought back memories that cause you any hurt or distress that was never the intention. I hope that like I do you have good memories to carry forward. 

My parent actually discussed this with us when we were still teenagers. They didn’t want to be kept alive on machines and they had DNRs (Do Not Resuscitate orders). We were able to be with my mother after she collapsed and when into a coma – they only gave her pain medication to keep her out of pain. When my father died, he was living in an Assisted Care facility and somehow, the EMTs were not informed of his wishes and attempted to resuscitate him but he died anyway.

My brothers and my friends know I do not want to be kept alive on machines either. I have also told people that they will not be allowed to wear black, only bright colors. There will be no religious sermon or hymns either.
;–)

@droughtquake I hope that I did not bring back any painful memories, that is not my intention and I am sorry if I did. I know the pain of losing parents, it never goes away over time it just becomes easier to live with. 

I also fully understand your feelings about when your time comes and I sincerely hope that that day is a very long time off, you are important to your friends and family and to many of us on here. 

2 minutes ago, Mancunian said:

I hope that I did not bring back any painful memories, that is not my intention and I am sorry if I did. I know the pain of losing parents, it never goes away over time it just becomes easier to live with. 

No, my parents died in 2002 and 2004. It’ll be 15 years this fall since my father died. I’ve lived a whole lifetime since then, having been homeless for a little over two years, and having been housed again for more than six years now.
;–)

@droughtquake from your comments I can see that you are someone with a positive outlook, which I am sure isn't always easy. Your comments and input are important and valuable to me and will hopefully help me and others to understand some of life's aspects better helping us to become better people. Thank you. 

@Mancunian So this story is about your father. As you said: Early published work is not about having the perfect wording, but giving the story a heart that is able to move its readers.

Quote

there are a few moist eyes

I have to admit, that this somehow leaped over into my eyes.

Thanks for sharing this intimate moment and your thoughts on this! I especially like your depiction of the funeral: Everybody says they don't want their bereaved to not be sad and wear colorful clothes, but often times, funerals don't seem to end up this way.

@Zuri This is something that was in my head one day when I woke up, I don't know if was me projecting or something else. I only know that it was something that I had to write and did so without thinking.

@MancunianOn a different note: At first, your story reminded me of Subconscious Mind, but it took a very different turn.

Like a journal entry, private and poignant.

Death's just another door we must go through.

Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for commenting @CasualWanderer82. This was something that kept going around in my mind until I wrote it, afterwards I felt more peaceful.

It makes one question just how aware comatose people are. The train of thought is an interesting perspective. Completely different topic, but I did one of those many years ago. I included it in a nifty story that probably wouldn't fly on GA. Well done. 

11 minutes ago, Lee Wilson said:

It makes one question just how aware comatose people are. The train of thought is an interesting perspective. Completely different topic, but I did one of those many years ago. I included it in a nifty story that probably wouldn't fly on GA. Well done. 

Thank you for the complimentary comment. As I have said previously, this is not something I thought about, it is something that was in my head one day when I woke up, it wouldn't go away until I had it written down. Even now I'm still not sure where it came from.

52 minutes ago, Mancunian said:

Thank you for the complimentary comment. As I have said previously, this is not something I thought about, it is something that was in my head one day when I woke up, it wouldn't go away until I had it written down. Even now I'm still not sure where it came from.

Sounds like how I come up with pretty much all of mine. I’m looking at right field, and they come hurtling at me out of left field.

A sensitive handling of a sometimes delicate subject.  My father was not connected to anything when he died, but my brother, mother, and myself were with him when he passed from this life.  The memories are not the same as this story, but both this story and my father's passing were good.  He was out of pain and feebleness.  Well done, @Mancunian

18 minutes ago, ReaderPaul said:

A sensitive handling of a sometimes delicate subject.  My father was not connected to anything when he did, but my brother, mother, and myself were with him when he passed from this life.  The memories are not the same as this story, but both this story and my father's passing were good.  He was out of pain and feebleness.  Well done, @Mancunian

Thank you @ReaderPaul, for the meaningful comments, they mean a lot to me. I'll admit I shed a few tears reading this story again. When I first came to GA, I came as a reader, not a writer. But shortly after my father's passing, I awoke with this going around in my head, and I could not get any peace until it was written, this was how my writing started. The Boot series was inspired by the voluntary work that he did and I continued. I don't know if this was what my father was thinking at the time, but it is how it was in my head and is an accurate description of events. When I reflect on the writing of this story, I think it was my way of dealing with the guilt I felt about his passing. I was always thought of as daddy's boy, I was a sickly child and depended on him, he was the live donor for my kidney transplant as a teenager, and I owe him so much. What I do know is writing this was a cathartic experience for me as it helped me to deal with and come to terms with the guilt I felt. I guess that really we should thank my father for the stories, as without his selfless actions and inspiration, I would not be here to write them.