"Some Parents Experience Painful, Excruciating Deaths Over A Series Of Weeks and Months"
Wow Scott! That is a pretty intense experience for someone so young. To see your dad banging his head against the headboard must have been frightening. It had to be a relief to see him finally out of pain but is still does not do much to minimize the incredible sense of loss of your dad.
I am happy to hear your dad is your hero. He is with you and sees your kids and grandkids and family as a living spirit. I believe that our relatives who make it to heaven, and it sounds like he definitely did, are constantly with us in our memories and dreams. They constantly support us in supernatural ways we cannot imagine.
Your mom sounds like a saint. Pancreatic cancer is a tough way to go. I agree that is is such a special experience to be there at your parents last breaths, telling them goodbye. I believe that any child who misses this amazing experiences has not lived life to its fullest and had total closure on their relationship with their parents. It is truly a blessing to be there at the end.
Your mom definitely understood that life is all about what you do in the lives of the people God places in your pathway to help. When you love people, especially your family members, and lay your life down for them, there is no greater joy. As I think about my mom and dad, that is their legacy.
I just pray, I will be able to do as good a job as you are carrying on your parents kind and compassionate legacy.
take care,
ralph