Journey to Lindberg
Saying "Goodbye" to Grandpa
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Thursday, December 26th Lynette We arrived in Sioux Falls at about 11:00 PM, grabbed a rental car, and tore down the highway. We really didn’t know what to expect when we got to the hospital, we just wanted to get there as soon as possible. David was driving and because it was so dark we really couldn’t see anything… but stars. Lots and lots of them. In the 60-mile drive from Sioux Falls to Lindberg, we came to only one gentle curve in the road. “Wow! A curve!” I commented. We drove past DeSmet, the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Even in the darkness I could feel the compelling vastness of the wide, open prairie, and I could sense that we were driving through a place where time passed slowly, even though we were going 80 mph. The posted speed limit was “75 mph, 40 mph minimum.” I guess that means no combines on the freeway. We drove into Lindberg at about 12:15 AM (pop. 725). We found the blue “Hospital” sign easily, which directed us to a little brick building with a more recent wing added on. “Lindberg Hospital and Nursing Home,” read the sign. We walked in and asked the nurses at the front desk, “Do you know who we’re here to see?” “Oh yes, we’ve been expecting you,” they replied. In a hospital with only 11 patients, in a town where everyone knows everybody else’s business, we had a feeling they knew we were coming.
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About the Book
This is the true story, written from a shared journal of four siblings chronicling the final days spent with their dying grandfather. From their hurried lives in the Pacific Northwest, to the passive pulse of the South Dakota prairie, the Austin siblings write about this profound experience with honesty, humor, and love. This cherished journal, tucked away since 2002 is now published to provide hope and peace for others saying “goodbye” to a loved one.
About the Author
The Austin siblings capture the close up experience of death in this shared journal to preserve the precious time spent with their grandfather during his final days. The close bonds between these five siblings have strengthened through experiencing the deaths of their parents and grandparents. It is their hope that others can participate in the mystery of death with compassion and love.