The lights of heaven grow brighter!

Dear family and friends around the globe,

What an incredible outpouring of love we have witnessed being lavished on my father, and our family. Words fail to convey the deep gratitude we all feel. Your support, along with God's abiding presence and peace, has guided us thru this unexpected season of our lives.

Today marks the 7-week anniversary of the call I got from dad, letting me know a growth had been found on his pancreas. It's a sunny crisp winters day in the Pacific NW, with a beautiful blue sky framing dad's study window. As I sit at his desk and look around his study, I see so many memento's and items that highlight his rich life journey:

A Master of Art and Doctor of Ministry diploma from Andrews University hanging on the wall, with his 1980 cap tassel along side..... a beautiful picture of Table Mountain taken in the early evening from Blouberg Strand.....another framed picture of the Sydney Opera House.....a 2006 Masters hat (along with other hats hanging on the wall), celebrating the opportunity I had to take dad back to Augusta Georgia, to walk the hallowed fairways of Augusta National, a golf event we used to watch every year on TV back in South Africa in the early hours of the morning, thanks to the 11 hour time difference.....a framed display of Diane's first CD and CD cover.....some traditional Rhodesian art pieces with elephants displayed against a copper background.....a South African flag hanging over the entry to his study, with an Aussie boomerang above it.....2 silver Mercedes Benz model cars (his full sized Bircherized pride and joy, sitting in this garage).....a Walla Walla memento hanging on the wall.....some soapstone sculptures from Zimbabwe.....a filing cabinet with meticulous alphabetized folders, holding every time of paper that has probably ever crossed his desk:). Guess I didn't inherit that trait!.....a framed letter from Adventist Health board of directors, recognizing 5 years of outstanding service as a board member.....a small Russian doll.....a "tweetalige Woordeboek" English / Afrikaans dictionary.....a collection of too many books to mention (one of my favorites being, " Long walk to Freedom", Nelson Mandela's autobiography) and finally, a plague from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and the Meadow Glade church family to: Pastor Alf  Birch ~ in grateful recognition of 50 years of devoted pastoral ministry.

Papa, you have blessed my dad with an incredible life!  If the measure of a man success in life is to be measured by his profound influence on the lives of people, then you, Alf Birch, are going to graduate magna cum laude!

Given the pain medication that dad is taking, one of the side effects has been hallucinations. It is remarkable what memories reside in the sub-conscious, and dad (ever the administrator), has continued to believe that there are wedding to conduct, board meetings to chair, and numerous events that require his full and complete attention. It's almost as though in his mind, he has toured the world and said good bye to people. He has moments of clarity, but the effects of the medication are significant.  He spent at least 2 hours or so last night talking Afrikaans, visiting and saying goodbye to friends and family from his past. In some ways it was actually amazing to realize how deeply ingrained friendships and memories are. Is dit jy Bess? Vaar is Deon? Kom Esme en Leon ook by? Hello Joey? Wat se jy Katie? He would often lift has hand as if to wave good-bye, chuckling to himself sometimes. References were also made to Biltong, a little chocolate, and a nice cup of tea:) He kept saying how beautiful it was, and I can't help wonder if our heavenly Papa is not perhaps giving him little glimpses of his true home! Even in the midst of hallucinating, he often praises God and references his goodness. During the times that we have held music to his ear, he simply raises his hands and blesses God.

Diane got home last last night from NYC, and dad was able to recognize her, asking about the 2 concerts she just played in NYC. I stayed at his bedside until about 1pm and then just slept in the room next door. Di was able to stay by his side till about 4 in the morning.

Dr. Kelli (who has been an absolute angel to our family) came by again this morning as she does at least once a day, and I think she's gotten the medications dialed in, and he is now sleeping comfortably. Our primary goal and objective are to  make him as comfortable as possible, hoping that he will sleep as much as possible.

Should his father be ready to take him home, we think that could well happen this weekend or soon after. Some of us were privileged to see dad 'do a little dance' at my daughter Megan's wedding this past August. We can only imagine how cool it will be when he gets to dance with the angels in the presence of his heavenly father.

We know that many of you had hoped to visit dad in person, but his condition simply no longer allows that. His condition has made it impossible for mom to read emails or even open all the hundreds of cards we've received. Thank you for your understanding in this regard. The day will come, when mom, and we as a family, can get around to giving your correspondence and communication the attention it deserves. Please be assured, that our inability to respond to most of you, in no way reflects our lack of gratitude or appreciation for the outpouring of love and support you have so graciously showered on dad and our family. We have simply been overwhelmed by how quickly dad's condition has deteriorated.

The journey in the natural, does not seem to be playing out as we had hoped. Nevertheless, we continue to trust God's ultimately best for dad, and we are at peace as a family. His ultimate destination is as real as the writing of this blog.

Forever grateful and appreciative.

With our love~

The Birch Family