Over the past 15 years or so, I have grown apart from my dad, and have not kept very good communication with him or any of my family, for that matter. Long distance relations have never been one of our family's strong suits. So anyway, throughout these past few years, every time I spoke with my dad I would ask, Hey Dad, how are you doing? I was really concerned about his lifestyle and his health. He would always reply, "good, pretty good" and sounded genuine. In reality, his health has been getting worse for several years and his memory fading. He never wanted us to worry about him though. He was just glad to hear a friendly voice. I've always remembered my dad as a very kind-hearted and generous man. A man with a great sense of humor who would always crack a joke or do something silly or embarrassing to make you laugh, or to pull you out of a bad mood. Growing up, he used to tell us kids war stories of Vietnam and what he went through while serving his country. I know now that he exaggerated much of what he told us to make it more interesting and exciting. He would also tell us stories about all the trouble he and his bros got into. My Dad had a good heart, but a short temper. I think we were pretty good kids growing up but we also lit his fuse quite a few times. He was yelling at Gina one day about something. He took a bite of his sandwich, being hungry at the time, and kept yelling, but food was flying out of his mouth. We tried so hard not to laugh but let out a few giggles and only pissed him off more. About 2 years ago, he told me about how he got into big trouble with his nursing home. One late afternoon, he left to go to the store down the road - no big deal, just wanted to pick up a few things. Because he didn't check out with the front desk, which he knew he was supposed to do, they freaked out and called the cops - "we lost Bill" Noone knew where he was. He came back not long later and said: settle down, just going to the store. He also told me about how they banned him from his motorized scooter, because he was driving around too fast and smashing into things and people. I think we both laughed when he told me that. I know my father regrets all of his sins and has made piece with God. I think that the hardest thing for my dad to come to terms with, is how he hurt and let down those he loved most.