Broken Joy

Merry Christmas everyone. Today started like any other Christmas in a house with kids, wrapping paper everywhere, lots of noise, pictures and cleaning. It really was a great Christmas for the girls, but in the mist of everything, I couldn't shake a feeling I had since yesterday.

I talked to my Dad yesterday at lunch. It was by far the most strange conversation we have had. He was determined about getting out and getting presents for the girls, even though I repeated to him, every 2 minutes it seemed, that I had already done his Christmas shopping for him. Then he said he hoped he didn't get into a wreck, that his feet had not been working. Puzzled by this, I asked him what he meant. "Well, they just don't listen to me anymore. I tell them to go one way and they just go the other". This upset me for two reasons...1- my dad usually doesn't talk like my 3 year old and 2- lack of coordination along with the short term memory loss that was obviously affecting him at the time are neurological symptoms. We said our I love you's and I asked him one more time not to get out.

That was the last any of us have heard from him.

I waited to call about 9 this morning to give him time to sleep in to wish him a Merry Christmas, shocked that he hadn't already called to talk to the girls. No answer. I called again at 11. No answer. I continued to call pretty much every hour on the hour after that. I got pretty worried by late afternoon and called my grandmother. He was supposed to be at her house for Christmas lunch/dinner. He never showed and had not answered the phone for her either. My father in law was nice enough to go out to his home to check on him, but his car was gone and no one answered the door. Still no answer on his phone. By 6 tonight, I was calling the police to file a missing person's report. The deputy was extremely nice and went out with a crew to his house to check things out. He is usually in bed exhausted by 8.....it's 8:03 now. Still no word. They have put out a report with all departments state wide and a "silver alert" which is equivalent to the amber alert.

Where could he be? I couldn't shake this feeling all day and now I just worry that the worst has happened. Is he alone? Did he get into an accident? There are no reports for him at the hospitals. No one has seen him for days and yesterday, I was the last one to talk to him. I have been praying that God is with him, where ever he is, looking over him keeping him safe and not fearful.

Everyone out there who reads this, even if it's only two of you, please pray for my Dad. Please pray that we find him soon. Please pray that he is safe.

I don't want that to be the last I love you I say to him.