We are all a bit nuts. I don't think I'm crazy but if someone else told me this, I might wonder if they were. Especially the part about being followed by a number. LOL.
Yesterday, 12.2.24 was my father’s funeral. He passed away at 3:38 am on 11.24.24. But I think his soul started to make a "getaway" on my birthday, November 2nd. Please allow me to explain.
For years I have had a premonition that my father was going leave us on my birthday, November 2nd. My mother's death, last year, was an affirmation to me of the date. The nurse pronounced my mother dead at 11:02 am.
This was the year. Dad was 93 and I had the strong sense he would not see 94.
So when my birthday came around this year, you can imagine my reaction when I received this text message below from his aid on the morning of my birthday:
I had just gotten into my car to go to Saturday morning bible study, when I saw that text. I sensed there was something serious going on and there certainly was!
At that point, Dad was not yet receiving overnight aid coverage. His aid would arrive early in the morning and leave after dinner, once settling Dad into bed for the evening, giving him his medicine and he was sound asleep. On November 2nd, 24 hour coverage began.
That morning when Maria arrived at his townhome, she found Dad on the ground in the front doorway, right were he had fallen. Maria asked Dad why he had gotten out of bed. He said he was "going to his car." The aid asked him where he was going. He said he didn't know. Dad did not have his car keys and he didn't know where he was going. He was just "going."
Dad was bruised from the fall and in pain. Since Dad was "under Hospice care," Maria got permission from Hospice to call 911. Dad was taken in an ambulance to the hospital to be checked for any serious injuries. Fortunately nothing was broken, so the hospital discharged Dad hours later.
From that day, Dad went down hill rapidly. I started overnight aid coverage. Both my sister and I made trips to visit Dad. I was scheduled to go back again on the 25th.
22 days after my birthday, the morning of the 24th, I had woken up very early with unsettling thoughts about Dad. I turned on Shabbat services at Central Synagogue on YouTube from the day before. I had just listened to the cantor sing the Shema. A moment later the call came.
I answered the phone in bed. I was laying in my dark bedroom. The aid spoke first. She said, "He couldn't wait." I was speechless. She repeated, "Your father didn't wait for you. Then she handed the phone to
Rose, who was the Hospice crisis nurse. Rose told me she had just pronounced Dad deceased. Time of death was 3:48 AM.
R.I.P. Mark Ivan Ritter, Dad. Your memory is for a blessing. 🙏
