5
The War Cry | OCTOBER 2013
hursday night the call came from a
town 200 miles away. He had been
on a business trip and stopped at the
motel where he usually stayed.
"I'm looking for a relative of Ken
Etchison," the voice said.
"I'm his daughter-in-law."
The man cleared his voice. "I don't like being
the bearer of bad news, but I found him stretched
out on the bed. No pulse. Nothing. I'm so sorry."
Shock slammed through me. My father-in-law
was gone? It had to be a mistake, yet I knew he
often did business in that city.
My mind whirled as I remembered when I saw
him on Sunday after church. We always went to my
in-laws for Sunday brunch. The kids had raced out
to the car and I was the last one to leave. I'd been on
the porch when I felt compelled to go back inside.
Leaning over his recliner, I hugged my father-
in-law. "I love you, Pop."
"I love you, too," he said, a grin crossing his
face.
O C T O B E R
Frontlines
Birdie L. Etchison lives in Ocean Park Washington.
by
BIRDIE L. ETCHISON
Three years later my father was in a locked unit
due to his Alzheimer's. One day he'd left the house
and was found wandering on a busy highway. Mother
could no longer care for him, so this was the answer.
His condition grew worse as he continued to beg to go
home. The manager of the facility said he needed a
caregiver to come in every day to help.
My mother was signing papers when I told her I
was going back to tell Dad goodbye. Mom fussed. She
was tired and wanted to go home.
"In a minute," I said, equally insistent.
"You just saw him."
"I know."
My father lay against his pillow, eyes closed.
Leaning down I kissed his cheek and hugged him.
"I love you, Daddy."
He opened his eyes, clutched my hand. "I love
you," he said.
My father died that night. They found him in the
bathroom on the cold, concrete floor. How glad I was
I had gone back to hug him.
If God is prompting you to do something, do it.
You might not have the opportunity again.
Later a friend told me about a letter she had
written to her father ten years before he died. She
found the letter--tattered and worn--in his personal
possessions. The letter revealed how much she loved
him, though they'd often had differences.
There are many ways to convey feelings--through
words, hugs, notes, a phone call. Leave no stone un-
turned comes to mind. Proverbs 19:20-22 says: "Many
are the plans in a person's heart, but the Lord pur-
pose that prevails. What a person desires is
unfailing love... "
How Many Times
Can You Say
"I Love
You?"
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9/13/13 3:38 PM