Sorry to hear, Dee... I know the feeling :(

incidentally, guess who just found out he unintentionally lied about having migraines for years because he just started having them for real 🥴👈

I just don't know if I'll ever understand, out of all the horrible & abusive parents that friends of mine continue to suffer with, why mine had to go. Just another thing I'll have to yell at God about in-person, whenever my time finally comes. In the meantime, I'll just keep yelling from down here.

I'll be alright. We may not have always seen eye-to-eye, but that doesn't mean I won't miss him. He did the best he could with what he had, and he still loved & cared about me. Both of my parents did, and they both knew I loved them before they left. I'm thankful to have no regrets in that way.

I know they'll both want to see me on the other side, but only when my time comes. I've had numerous opportunities to go out on my own terms, and God knows I want to, but I'm still here in spite of it. It just feels surreal to know both people that brought me into the world would leave so soon.

For whatever it's worth, I've never really been the religious type, but my spirituality has evolved over time. I'd label myself as a spiritual agnostic of sorts. I wholeheartedly believe *something* like a God is out there. The universe is just too big for me to claim I know for sure there isn't.

Mom visited me in a dream, not long after she passed in 2018. I'd dreamed about her plenty, but this one stuck out. She had a halo behind her head & didn't say a word, just smiled at me & nodded. I believe Dad may do the same, whenever he's ready. Maybe they'll get to catch up on the other side.

He'd wanted to live down there for years, ever since he visited for the first time. Putting my own feelings about the region aside, it's really a shame he didn't get to stay there longer... He talked about it all the time. I wouldn't say he was miserable in PA, but he wasn't exactly content either.

But when my brother & I arrived, our grandfather kept telling us how happy Dad was to be down there. He was doing all this work around their house & yard, and they couldn't slow him down. It made me realize he was exactly where he needed to be. The inconvenience of the trip was worth knowing that.

The timing of everything was strange. Dad's trailer was condemned back in May (not a surprise, it was falling apart for years) which forced him to move on short notice. I remember being upset that if he could've just stayed there another two months, this all would've happened a lot closer to me...

aw man, were these at your booth? I woulda got the lil demon goat if I saw it. still glad I got the pride demon guy at the very least. he's now propped up on a shelf in my new place 👌

I'm currently planning to make the trip with my brother to go see him, but we really can't communicate with him, nor do we even know if he can hear or recognize us. In a sense, he's already gone.

Both parents, before I even hit my 40s. I keep thinking I'll wake up any day now.

The first stroke already changed him in a way that made him a lot harder to talk to & be around. His mind was gone, and he became a LOT less tolerant in general. I tried my best to be patient with this new version of him, but the truth is that I already started mourning the one that raised me.