My Dad

My dad has lived with us for about six years, He and my Mom were divorced when I was about five,

I don't remember too much about my father till age of seven, He had had nervous breakdown, had one when he was in the service , He was in the army, and them joined the marines. and he had another nervous breakdown when he, and my mom were married,( this begining part of my father is put together from what everyone told me). It was back in the day when they used shock treatments, and didn't know what the hell they were doing.

It made everything for him worse, He has had problems from then on. His diagnosis is schysophrenic, He is controled these days with very good medication, can pretty much do for himself, has to be reminded acasionally( but who doesn't.

He had been living in what they called a halfway house for veterans, in another town, he lived there i'd say about twenty some years,worked for 1.25 an hour at the va hospital, doing dishes, and then in the wood shop.

The only time I got to see him when I was growing up was when i went to my grandmother's for a week in the summers, and she brought him to her farm at the same time i was there.

I can vagley remember one time when I was little going to this strange hospital to visit someone, and a man started hugging me and crying, I know know it was my Dad, He has a pretty good memory of past, But sometimes present thing has to be repeated.

He does not drive, and although he can do alot of thing for himself, he has to be with someone, or in a facility.

It had been some time since i had seen him, i had moved to california, and started a family, i always told my family when i was older i wanted to bring him closer to me, so i could see him more often.

When i moved back home, I started going to see him as much as i could, i would take my children to see him,

although my grandmother lived a little ways from him aldso she was in charge of his affairs. i talked to her once about him moveing, she didn't think i could handle him, so we let it go.

My grandmother had a stroke some time after that and was being taken care of by my dad

brother, I had wen to see my dad, and found him to be in awful condition, He despratly needed dental work, could hardly eatwith his teeth being in such bad shape, He had a hard time socializing with the other men, because he is extremly religous, when i say that I meen, he always has his bible with him, and writees bible verses all the time, gospel music is the only music he listens to.

so i made arangements for him to come and live with us, to begin with it was a trial basis, to see if he could adjust.

We live in the country,and he could get out and walk, he has his own room, everything in hes room is his, doesn't have to share his space with anyone. Has been here every since then.

I have so enjoyed haveing him here, I have finally gotten to know who he is, and who I am I always wondered growing up why I was like I was, I was nothing like my mom, even look like my dad, I know now where i get my personality from, This DNA thing is something else, to not be around someone the entire time your growing up, and you find out you walk the same, you smile the same, you hold your pencil the same way, wow. something else, And on a good day he will talk about family members from his side of the family that i'd wished that i had met.

He is and has always been a good christian man, and for some reason was dealt a crappy hand, He would tell you himself if it wasn't for Dr.#####, giving him shock treament, he wouldn't be like he is. I love my dad dearly and as long as i can he will be with me in my home.