On October 18th, 2008, my dad passed away from lung cancer. I was 11 years old at the time, and today would be the eighth anniversary of his passing. He was sick for only six months, which if anything, made his death harder because it was so quick. I woke up one morning expecting to visit him at the hospital, but when I got the news, I quickly realized that I would never see him again.
Losing a parent or anyone for that matter is never easy. I lost someone who brought me into this world and was supposed to help me through life step by step. I was extremely upset because I knew life wasn’t supposed to be this way; I wasn’t supposed to lose my dad. However, everything truly does happen for a reason, and I decided to get through it the best I could.
Losing my dad taught me to not take anything for granted. It sounds so cliche, but anything can be taken away from you in a blink of an eye. It’s important to appreciate the people you have in your life and be thankful for them everyday.
His death has taught me to grieve differently. Grief comes in bits and pieces and definitely doesn’t hit you all at once. It’s been eight years and I still get sad when I hear one of his favorite songs. However, it taught me to stay positive even in the worst of times because there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
My dad never saw me do the sport I love. He never saw me in my prom dress or graduate high school. He wasn’t there when my family dropped me off at college and he won’t be there to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day, but my step-dad will. At first it was hard to accept that life would go on without my dad and that my mom was continuing her life with another man, but my step-dad John has been the biggest blessing in me and my family’s lives after my father's passing. He brought me my two incredible step-brothers and my amazing step-sister and I will be forever thankful. I am now blessed with not one, but two father figures who are nothing less than extraordinary. He taught me to love everyone in my life equally.
I wake up every morning and do the best I can because I know that’s what my dad would want me to do. Throughout that tough time in my life, I learned a lot about myself; I learned to be strong and how to let go. Losing a parent is something no one should ever have to go through, but things happen in life that we have no control over. My life is nothing less than a blessing because I know my dad is watching from above. Moving on doesn’t necessarily mean forgetting about them, it means living your life to the best of your ability and making them proud. I am proud of who I have become, and hopefully I have made him proud.
