Roger A. Schmidt
March 8, 1948 - January 8, 2009
It's hard to believe that I am writing this; it is all so surreal. Dad went home to be with Jesus at 2:30 today after spending nearly 5 weeks in hospice care. It is very clear to me that God's hand guided him & me through his passing . On Tuesday, it was on my heart to go home & see my Dad, so I booked a flight for Wednesday and flew to Rhinelander to spend the day with him & Jeannine. I was supposed to return to Mpls. at 5 the same day, but my flight was cancelled for maintenance reasons, which meant I had to spend the night in Rhinelander & that I got to spend more time with my Dad. We watched TV together last night & mostly Jeannine and I chatted the evening away. It was so relaxing. I hugged my Dad numerous times & he reached up & he held my hand, hanging on for a long time. His last words to me this morning were "I love you so much." God knew I needed to hear that one last time. My flight back to Mpls. was at 8:10 this morning. It was a sunny, clear ride back, flying above the clouds with the sun shining bright. I returned and kept myself busy with errands & unpacking. I was just about to leave to pick up G & F from school & my stepmom called to give me the news. In his last moments, he wanted to be turned on his side to look out the window (toward heaven!!!!). Jeannine said the Lord's prayer & as soon as she said "amen", my dad took his last breath. As hard as this is, it is beautiful to know how awesome our God is & how he orchestrates everything. I feel peace knowing my dad is not suffering any longer, but I will miss him terribly.
This past Sunday we finally ventured out to the American Girl Store that just opened at the Mall of America. Oh my gosh, did we have fun!!! I had been out of town for a scrapbooking weekend, so I thought dad could use a break for the afternoon, so I took the girls to the new store. It was not busy at the store & reservations weren't needed at the restaurant, so it was the perfect day for a mom with 3 giddy girls in tow! The blond & brunette brought their dolls to get their hair done at the salon to the tune of, gulp, $15 EACH. Crazy! But Josefina (Brunette's doll) has had a bad hair YEAR and her 'fro could beat the best of them. It's back in a smooth braid once again. Phew, money well spent. We had lunch at the restaurant and the girls placed their linen napkin in their laps and drank pink lemonade from an actual glass without spilling the entire lunch. Yes! It was a delightful afternoon & I can't wait to go back. Perhaps next time one-on-one time with one of my girls, however. :-}
