Daddy's visit in Spring of 2013

A few days prior to this picture. My brother Michael and I left San Diego to meet with my parents and other siblings regarding my father's declining health. He had started having problems with his vision and his heart was acting up.

My father was a hard-working man. He was a cement mason and a pastor. So he had two very hard but important occupations. He was an intelligent man and 
was looked up to by so many in both professions. 

I've known him to do a forty day fast with just water! Yes, I said, FORTY DAYS!
I can remember it as if it was just yesterday. I was a teenager at the time and we were living in Fontana, California. I will never ever forget the blessings he prayed over all his children, plus my Uncle Isaias right before he broke his fast. All of his children are living for God today. To God be all the glory. Trust me we've had some bumps and plenty of bruises along the way but today we stand victorious in Christ. 

Back to the topic. My father was admitted to the hospital and we all listened to the doctor explain that my father had congestive heart disease. He ended up having a valve replacement a few years later but I will write all about that in another post. Also, his left eye had started to have problems and he would end up going completely blind in that eye a few years later. Ugh. Come to find out that he had a stroke which caused his retinal detachment. They did trying fixing it but to no avail. 

My siblings along with my mother called an emergency family meeting without my father present. My father was always calling family meetings so we inherited that from him. We agreed on a plan. Now we had to convince my father that it was a great one. LOL! 

Ezra and I had purchased a home in San Diego and it had an extra bedroom. Ezra thought it would be a good idea for my parents to move down and move in with us. He knew my father was very sick and he also wanted to help in anyway he could. 

My daddy was tired emotionally and physically. We wanted him and mom to  retire down here and we would help in anyway we could. My siblings and my mother thought it was a great idea but our father didn't. He just wasn't ready to make that big of a move but his health demanded it. So Michael and I convinced our father to come to San Diego for two weeks to rest and recuperate. He obliged and made the trip down South with us. 

The attached picture is one of my twins with him a day before he returned back home. My dad had just let Ezra and I know he wasn't ready to move to San Diego. He needed a few more months to pray about it. Fair enough. However, I have to admit. I was sorely disappointed and sad that he came to that conclusion after his stay. Trust me we tried hard to convince him that moving to San Diego would be best for him and my mother. We said our goodbyes and he left on April 1, 2013. 


Oh and check out our retro carpet. We have since changed that lovely carpet. I will blog another day on the fixer upper we purchased and the upgrades we have done since living here.