Dad's broken heart

We found out this week that my Dad has to have aortic valve replacement surgery. He is going today for cardiac catheterization so that they can better assess the condition of the valve and also check the coronary arteries since he had bypass surgery thirteen years ago. Hopefully his arteries will look fine and he won't need to have any type of bypass done in addition to the valve replacement.

My Dad is a character. He is a southerner (born and raised in North Carolina), and despite living in Maine for the last 40+ years he still has a recognizable drawl. He's a master storyteller (sometimes he tells the same story more than once, but we forgive that) and has a saying for any occasion ("slippery as snot on a glass doorknob", or "he couldn't pour piss out of a boot with the directions on the heel" to name a few). When he was was seventeen he joined the Navy and spent the next twenty years of his life serving his country. It was during that time he met my Mom, they fell in love, and started their life together. When his Navy career was over they returned to Maine (my Mom's home) and put down roots. They still live in the house in which I was raised. This past January they celebrated fifty-two years of marriage.

When I close my eyes and think of my Dad I can hear his laugh and see his eyes twinkle. Many people have told me they can see a lot of my Dad in Phillip. I think they both have the same twinkle in their eyes when they smile. Phillip is Poppa's boy. He thinks Poppa hung the moon and it's mutual. Poppa adores all the grandkids and enjoys spending time with them. He has told me on many occasions that his fondest wish is to live long enough for all of his grandchildren to remember him. It's easy to forget that my Dad is 79. He doesn't look it, and he certainly doesn't act it (and if he did my Mom would give him a swift kick in the fanny and put an end to it!). I hear 79 and think "old", but my Dad isn't old.

I'm anxious for today to be over and to find out the results of Dad's catheterization. The kids and I will go to the hospital for a bit to keep my Mom company while it's being done. Hopefully all will go well and he'll be home tonight. Once his doctor sees the results of the catheterization he will decide exactly what surgery is needed and when it will be done. I'm hoping and praying with all my heart that my Dad's broken heart will soon be mended and as good as new. He still has grandchildren to spoil...