I never planned to be among the populous of adult children caring for their aging parents, but when circumstances as abrupt and unwelcome as a tsunami presented themselves, my elderly father came to live with my husband and me. Not only was our coveted retirement lifestyle interrupted, but I was catapulted into a three-year journey that included many a crisis, painful confrontations, encouraging reprieves, and a closure that can only be attributed to divine intervention. Dementia, cancer, and dependency all became facilitators in fostering an understanding and love of my father that finally gave me an inner peace I never thought possible. There are probably millions of stories. This one is mine.