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My father had come to live in an assisted home. We had moved him from a small town near Portland Oregon, to have him near us. His wife had died the year before and all he had were his children.
We visited with him every day until he made a friend with one of the men in the room next to him. They would sit for hours on end reliving the past, and exchanging tears of laughter and pain.
My Dad being a World War 11 veteran had many a story to share with his new friend, who also served our Country at the same time. How wonderful it was to visit and hear as they described their many feats of bravery. I am certain that many of those great feats were just their way of trying to finish their story with a flourish.
As the months wore on Dad began to complain that he was having trouble seeing. After a visit to an eye Doctor, the diagnoses were that he was indeed going blind. The Doctor told us that in time he would only be able to light and darkness, but not images.
One day as I drove up to the front of the building, I saw my father sitting out on the front patio in a wheel chair. His eye sight by then had deteriorated so much that he needed help in maneuvering around the building. As I walked up to him, he heard me and asked “Who is that?” I told him who I was and went to sit by him on one of the patio chairs
We sat for awhile and Dad said "Honey, I cannot see anything now.” I reached over and hugged him and asked if he had any images in his head that he could see. He turned to me and said, “The image that I see right now is Old Glory “The Flag” as it furls and unfurls in the breeze.” I asked him if he could see the colors in his mind.
The tears began to flow down his cheeks, at the emotions of what he could see and feel, and he smiled as he said “Yes, the colors are red, white, and blue,” “The colors that I fought and defended this great Country for.”
I smiled and said Dad, you are not blind because God has given you memories that can come back in colors that you remember. We sat for awhile longer, and as I got up to leave, Dad smiled and said “By gum your right.”
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