It seems like just yesterday you were here. You were holding my hand. You were saying my name. You were supporting me. You were loving me. You were here. Sadly, it was not just yesterday that you were here, but it has been a year and what a year it has been without having you around.

There are so many days when I want to pick up the phone just to hear your voice again. Although I cannot call you I still saved all your voicemails on my phone, so that I can hear your voice again.

There are also days when all I want is to see your welcoming smile, but the closest I can get is looking back at old pictures.

Every day you are on my mind and forever engraved in my memory.

A year. It has been a year without you here. A year can seem like a long time, but there are still times where I can feel your warm touch on mine. There are still times where I can hear your voice echoing my name.

I will always hold our times together close to my heart and have them on repeat in my memory.

Time has no competition on memories.

I have learned many life lessons from you that I abide by every day and incorporate into my life for my own well being.

The best lesson you taught me though is the true meaning of family. A family is the people who you have forever. They love you endlessly and support you until the end of time; even when times get hard or even unbearable. These are the times when family truly means the most. A family is the people who never gives up on you and always encourages you. A family is a lifetime bond with the people who are your entire world because family is forever. You will always be the glue that brought our family together and now, still holds us together.

One of the greatest lessons of all time you have taught me is to care for others; no matter how bad you might have always put others before yourself. I live by this every day and continue to allow your legacy to live on through me and hold this lesson closest to my heart.

In this year I have learned a lesson all on my own. Time does not make things easier. People say that over time the pain will lessen, but I do not believe that to be true. I believe that over time the pain does not lessen, but we learn how to deal with the pain more easily.

Not that I have gotten used to not having you around, but I have learned to deal without having you around. Walking through the front door and not hearing your booming voice and seeing your radiant smile still breaks my heart a little more each time. There are some things that just will not get easier. Not seeing you or hearing from you is one of them.

Thank you for all you have done for me and constantly supporting me. You were always my #1 fan and believed in me even when I did not believe in myself. Now, I have taken on your role and have learned to believe in myself even when no one else does. You have made me all that I am today and all that I will be in the future. Thank you for showing me the bright side of life.

Until I see you again… I love you. Keep on Keepin’ on.