For people who've lost a parent: What's the last thing you said to your mom/dad?

My father unexpectedly died in 2007. Six months earlier he informed my siblings and I that he was moving to Florida with his new wife. Shortly after he announced that he was leaving Missouri, my grandmother called my siblings and I to urge us to visit our father before he left because she had a feeling it would be the last time we saw him alive.

That was a startling thing to hear from my (at that time) 85 year old grandmother. She never explained to us why she had that eerie feeling.

My siblings and I scheduled a long 3 day weekend before he left. It was a great weekend full of laughter, wonderful meals, throwing the football, catching up, etc. The perfect weekend that (at the time) just seemed normal.

When the weekend was over, my wife and I were packing our car for the long ride home. I turned to my dad to say goodbye.

He got a little teary eyed and told me he loved me. I told him I loved him too. We bear hugged (a masculine tradition we always did with my father growing up), and then he said, "Visit me as soon as possible, son."

I said, "Don't worry dad, I'll see you soon. It'll be a good excuse for a vacation to Florida (laughter). Be careful driving out there. Love ya." We hugged one last time and then my wife and I drove away.


Six months later I received a phone call from my mother that he had died in his sleep at 57 years old from a pulmonary embolism.