Wow... What a week it has been... So many things have happened over the past week that it has been an overwhelming experience. So, let's start from the beginning...

Early morning on Tuesday Aaron's father, Walter, passed away. I got the call from Aaron at about 5:00 a.m. So that day I went to work and got Wednesday and Thursday off to go to Bismarck. I think my boss wasn't too happy about it just from the look on his face, but I didn't care at the moment.

On Wednesday I drove 8 hours from Worthington, MN to Bismarck, ND. During the whole time I was there I helped out in whatever I could. I just wanted to be there for Aaron and to be sure that he was getting through his loss as best as he could.

The viewing was on Thursday. The weather was not very good, but most of the family was there anyway. There was a prayer service that evening where members of the family shared stories of Walter which made me laugh and cry. The funeral was on Friday morning. It was a very nice service. Aaron and Erika sang "Amazing Grace", which was Walter's favorite hymn. I was very proud of those two at that moment, as I'm sure their father was too. Aaron wrote a tribute to his father on his website. If you want to see it, go to www.danoandchris.com. It makes me cry every time I read it....

I have only met his father twice. Once for Thanksgiving, and once over a weekend when he first went to the hospital. However, in just those two events, I feel blessed to have at least met him. I can see now where Aaron gets some of his wonderful traits from. Walter was a very kind man. I only wish I could have gotten to know him better. I'm sure I missed out on something great...