A Conversation With My Dad on a Trip Last Year Left a Lasting Impression on Me

The author and her family moved home to live with her parents, and months later, her father was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Courtesy of Melissa Noble. On a trip to see my parents last year, a conversation with my dad left a lasting impression on me. I felt an overwhelming pull to move my family back to the Gold Coast and live near my parents.

My family has been living with them this year, and in June, my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's. I've always been a little woo-woo. Throughout my life, I've had this strange sense that the universe was guiding me in a particular direction. Looking back, I can also pinpoint a handful of sliding door moments that drastically changed the course of my life.

Last July, I experienced one of them. I was holidaying on the Gold Coast, where my parents live, sitting in a park with my dad while my three kids played nearby. Out of nowhere, my dad began to tell me how much he loved me and what a wonderful daughter I'd been.

I'd already noticed subtle changes in my dad's health during that trip, and somehow the conversation felt like a goodbye. For the first time, I was struck by the terrifying realization that my time with my parents was running out.