Sorry to hear about your father, Chris. I can appreciate what you are going through as I lost my own father to Cancer.
Never under estimate your emotional strength. It's important that you take it one day at a time. You will get through this. Don't be afraid to reach out to friends if you need to talk. If you feel the need to cry don't be afraid to do it. Bottling up your emotions is not a good thing.
The letter is a great idea but I would encourage you to take it one step further. Get a video camera and have your father read the letter as you are filiming it. Also do a video of your kids with their grandpa spending time together. Gather up a collection of pictures of your kids with thier grandpa. They will get a visual impression of who their grandpa was and how much fun they had with him and will greatly appreciate what you did.
Your mother is going to need all the emotional support she can get from you and your wife. Also be very strong for her. I know it will be hard but she will be looking to you and your wife for increasing support when the end gets close. Be that rock for her.
Spend as much time as you can with your father and always tell him you love him after each and every visit. Talking with him and reflecting on all the good times you had together will help to take his mind off of things. Go out and do things that you enjoy doing and make the best of time you have togther.
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