One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do...

My dad has arrived for a visit for a while. He's going to putter and do renos on our kitchen and just be around us for a while. I hope it'll help him to be here. We're going to go shopping today together to find him some clothes - he used to do everything with Mum and now he's at a bit of a loss as to what to do. I figure I can at least help him pick stuff easy to wash and keep him company. I'm glad he's here so he's not on his own anymore...
While he's here I'm trying to find the balance between doing everything for him and helping/teaching him do stuff so he can more easily adjust to things as they are now. My first instinct is to do everything and I know it's not right. He's on his own now...he just finds it frustrating because if he has a question to ask about stuff Mum isn't there to tell him things so he has to just "guess" at what to do on some chores. It's not like he didn't do things himself before...he just didn't file away the details much, as he always had someone to ask. Nothing makes you feel lonely like that does...
It'll be nice to have him here for a while...I can't imagine what it's like for him. When you marry your best friend and then they're gone? Wow. I know for me, now that he's here, it's like she's just going to walk in the room any minute now. It's going to take a long time to get over that feeling.
It's his birthday tomorrow so we're taking him out for supper. His favourite thing is raisin pie...I admit to having no idea how to make it (I *hate* raisin pie - way too sweet) but I'll try and track down a recipe to make him one on the weekend...Mum used to make him one on his birthday. It just seems like the thing to do...