In many ways it was the worst possible situation. He was only fifty-five. It was 6 days before Christmas. His funeral had to be two days before Christmas, meaning that no-one with out-of-town plans was able to attend. And he was no distant father, he did much more than pay the bills and do his own thing. We were very close. He was a superb husband and dad. But it's easy to count the ways your father's death was especially painful.
What's more interesting are the blessings scattered throughout the situation. He had been unemployed for about a month and a half prior to his death. I called home fairly frequently previously, but once he was laid off I called every day and talked to him for at least ten minutes. I arrived home on the 17th, two days before he died. But I was able to spend almost the entire day on the 18th hanging out with him. His death occurring at the very beginning of Christmas break probably seemed like awful timing, but in fact it was perfect. I had no plans to work over Christmas break, so I was able to fully devote my time to all the arrangements that need to be made following the death of a family member (if you've never experienced them, you would not believe how much needs to be done) and grieve for three whole weeks.
And then there are the blessings relevant to this blog, which were actually some of the most important blessings I experienced during that time.
If you spend any amount of time on App's campus, you will inevitably here the term "Appalachian Family". I can assure you that what sounds like a generic cliche certainly is not, and that the sense of family and camaraderie experienced between all those with any connection to Appalachian is very real and very special. I had friends from Winston Salem, Greensboro, and Charlotte who, two days before Christmas, left their families and drove to Raleigh (up to a 2.5 hour drive) to attend my dad's one-hour-long funeral service, hung around for a half hour or so afterwards, and then drove straight back home. I will value these friends, and their commitment to support me through anything, for the rest of my life. I knew none of these people before I stepped foot on App's campus, and I can't help but feel as though our relationships would not be the same had we met somewhere else. The Appalachian Family extends far and wide, but more importantly, it is genuine and it changes lives. No other institution can nurture relationships they way that App does.
That being said, I hope all of you enjoy your time with your family this season. Be sure not to take eachother for granted, and be safe!
Go Apps!
Chad
