To anyone who has lost a parent:

First off, GOD BLESS YOU! I know it is hard to say goodbye to anyone in your life but it is pure torture having to say it to a parent. Sometimes it will feel like you will never have a "normal" life again and, sometimes, you will want to give up but you CANNOT give up! Your parent would want you to keep going.

I lost my dad the last week of my freshman year of college and everyone told me "It will get easier". No, it has not and honestly I do not believe it will ever get easier! Yes, some days are better than others. There are still days, even four years later, where I want to curl up in bed and just cry (and sometimes I do) and then there are days where I am alright. This will become your new "normal". It is normal for you to want your parent and to miss them.

After I lost my dad, I noticed that I changed: I became annoyed with things easier, I questioned things a lot more, I became interested in new things and other things that I used to like I began to avoid because they reminded me of my dad. The one thing I noticed the most though was the getting annoyed part. The one thing that annoyed me was everyone telling me "he's in a better place now." I would just try to smile and change the subject, but in my head I was screaming for them to shut up.

There are still times when I want to call my dad. I can't tell you how many times I have pulled out my phone and started to call my dad. Anytime something happens he is still one of the first people I want to tell. I wanted to call him when I found out the day I would be graduating and when I got engaged.

There are some times that it is like it hits me all over again. That sinking-stomach feeling that you had when it first happened will hit you over and over sometimes. The main thing to remember is that your parent would want what is best for YOU and want you to be HAPPY! So, if you are dealing with the death of a parent, just know, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!