Eulogy For Father

Taking in the smell of sawdust as he works, admiring the shiny Harley Davidson, laughing as he pushes me on the makeshift swing--these are all memories that my great uncle and I created. We were two peas in a pod and could not be separated. If I ever had any kind of issue he was who I would turn to. Pa was a man who would do anything for anyone at any giving time. He definitely did not want another person to help him or do anything for him; he was very stubborn. This leads me into my story about forgiveness. Pa served in the vietnam war and had always had health problems after serving. Once his health overwhelmed him he began rejecting visits. I did not understand why he would say he did not want to see me, because he was my best friend. Months passed and I had only seen him a few times. I remember going to his house one afternoon and he had acted distant, like I was not even there. I was so angry with him that I
He had left me without even saying goodbye, and to make matters even worse he did it at his own free will. Why would anyone want to leave their family behind? Why would anyone want to put loved ones in that kind of pain? These are all questions I would ask myself as I laid in bed at night. I would avoid any conversation about him, and I even avoided going to his funeral.. Weeks later I finally opened up to my dad and told him how I felt. I remember telling him that I "hated" Pa and that I would never forgive him, and I will never forget what he said to me next. He explained to me why my uncle had done what he did. He was in pain. He was suffering. He hated people caring for him and he hated for his family to see him the way he was. Pa was so unhappy and I would not want him to live his life in that manner. I slowly began to realize that I was being extremely selfish and soon began to regret my decision on not attending his funeral. Not forgiving him as soon as he left was the biggest mistake I have made yet in my