Dad, age 2

An elderly couple who we had never seen before came to dad's viewing. Turns out, the woman was Evelyn's (in photo, dad's mom) best friend who had lost contact with her after granny and grandaddy moved back to Brantford. Letters were returned, no forwarding addresses in those times. They never regained contact, as granny passed away in the early '90s of breast cancer.

Dad's parents were the first to welcome this couple to Toronto - newcomers to Canada from Hungary. This is not new news: every story I have heard about my grandparents point to the fact that they were the nicest, friendliest of people. Dad took after them well.

The couple looked to be in their late eighties, and they are at a point in their lives where they have taken to reading the obituraries section of the newspaper. Lo and behold, on December 30th, the woman pointed to dad's death notice and exclaimed, "I've found Evelyn!" She also found this picture of dad and his mother. This is one picture to treasure always. Dad looked exactly like his mom. And look! I have their nose.

At the sight of dad in his casket, the old man broke down into tears. Imagine seeing the son of your best friends pass away too soon, seeing a boy you used to babysit. It was truly heartbreaking. Still, I believe that this is one of dad's first miracles: giving this couple answers to what became of their friends, and allowing them to say goodbye to the whole family. I look forward to many more miracles.

Tonight I was rifling through dad's folders on the computer. Under 'Pictures' I found four photos of Wallace as a puppy. Under 'Documents' I found various Rotary club files and one called "Living with Lymphoma." It is a four page account of what he has been through. Lists and lists of tests, scores of medications. It was a real reminder that dad didn't suffer for just two months - he's been suffering for years. It's really amazing how much positivity he brought to each day despite all his troubles. I wish I could've told him how brave he was.