Life Without Dad

God was good to my Dad. He lived until the age of 101, and was in relatively good health until about four to five months before his passing...

Blood clots in his legs led to a lot of pain and many sleepless nights. At times the pain was so bad that he was unable to walk, resulting in a few short stays at a local hospital. Otherwise he was strong and alert. Many were stunned to learn his age, thinking he was only in his eighties. 

Even until his early nineties he continued to drive, but only in the  daytime. He  also  bowled until his doctor begged him to please give up the sport. 

This was my Dad: 
Hard-working, kind and loving, a gentle soul with a warm spirit, someone whom almost everyone felt comfortable to be around, a World War II veteran who served in the U. S. Army and for a time was stationed on the Island of Guam in the South Pacific, and devoted husband. He was wise in practical ways and was oftentimes sought out by family, friends and neighbors for advice.

He was a good father and one who was able to forgive and still love the son (Me!) who  had  caused him untold pain and grief. My Dad shed  many a tear, both when I was growing up as a  troubled youth, and then after my arrest. 

My Dad was a survivor. He walked with his head erect while he endured the gossip and finger-pointing of the curious and self-righteous. In spite of the emotional hell I put him under, he took life in stride. He was a proud Jew, albeit,  not a religious one. 

Above all, as I reflect,  upon  my  Father's  passing,  I wish  to  thank  those  who  befriended my Dad and prayed for him.  Many who prayed for him were  strangers whom he never met, or even knew existed.

Among them  were  Alfred  and  Grace  whom  I  wrote  about  in  my  journal  for  March  2nd.  They  were some of the many prayer guardians who brought the name of Nathan Berkowitz to God's throne of grace almost daily. 

I often joked with my Dad telling him,  "Daddy,  I  think  you're  the  most  prayed  for  man  in  the  world." He'd chuckle in disbelief whenever I said this. But I believe it to be true. 

While my Father traveled his own "Trail of Tears," my greatest hope is that he ultimately placed his faith in Messiah Jesus. I want to see him in heaven, and so do many others. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).

D. B.