Never in the right place at the right time

During all my years of living in Switzerland, I was constantly missing out on special occasions and events in the lives of my friends and family. I thought that things would be different now that we had purchased an apartment in Chicago. This was to be my base here in the States. I thought it be great to have a place of my own and not have to feel like a tourist every time I was visiting. We arrived in early May to begin our RV trip and I saw how weak my father had become. He had been very ill for a very long time but still it was a shock. At the beginning of July I had a very strong feeling that I should go and visit him. I flew to Chicago from Anchorage on July 9th and visited him every day for the next five days. After returning to Alaska, I received an email from my older sister Judi on July 18th saying that I should call my parents home ASAP. I did this immediately and was told my father didn't have much longer to live. He in fact passed away on the 19th, shortly after 6:30 in the morning. As, per my mother's wishes, there was to be no funeral or mass, I did not return to Chicago. As hard as this has been to deal with, I do truly appreciate that I had an opportunity to see my father one last time and say goodbye. It is a daily struggle to accept that he is gone but he is truly now in a better place. I think he would be happy to know that his passing has brought me back in touch with family members I had lost track of. I now know that I should always trust my intuition and make the most of the time I have with family and friends as you never know if it is the last time.