my childhood memories of my Dad and Mom

Dad loved farm life and even though we did not live in a farming area he created one from his land. We raised flowers and orchids in greenhouses (five of them) we had pigs and horses and dogs. He wanted to raise chinchilla's but mama drawed the line there. Dad was a fun person. He loved to joke around. He was a firm believer that children should enjoy their childhood. He did his best to hide financial difficulties from us. He also believed in hard work. We had to do chores. We did not do the tipical chores, however. Dad hired the house work and yard work done. He gave us chores being the helpers in building the green houses, working in the flower shop by helping prepare flowers for mom to arrange. We had to deliver arrangment to funeral homes, hospitals, and weddings. It was a lot of hard work but it was also a lot of fun. Due to Dad and Mom's health failing we only did this for 8 years (from age 8 to age 16 for me). I was married when they converted from retail to wholesale business. They provided orchids for local flower shops and even sold some plants to individuals. Dad had heart disease and when I was 12 he had his first open heart surgery. He almost died. He was disabled and was forced into retirement from the quarry(his primary job)and from pastoral ministry. He laid around the house for a couple of years and eventually had a second heart surgery. It improved his quality of life the second time. He begin doing a little more around the house and able to help mom. Mom was a very strong woman physically but looking back she must have had an increasing anxiety disorder. She eventually became reclusive only communicating with people by phone or if they visited. Dad did all the grocery, clothing shopping, and errand running. I was married and had 2 children at age 22 when mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer with extensive mets to bones. She under went surgery to remove breast, muscle, and scraping of the bones followed by chemo therapy (it was the early 80's and chemo was brutal then). They told her it was palative care not curative and the goal was to increase her quality of life. She soon realized that the quality was not improved for her but more miserable. She decided after several rounds that she had had enough. I was sheilded from the chemo process but my poor dad and brother Van got the brunt of it. She decided to stop and just live the life God had given her and die when he was finished with her. I was 25 1/2 when she passed. Her faviorite scripture was John 17. She listen to it on tape over and over again the last few months of her life.