I love you, Dad—
Even now, almost twenty years since you left this earth,
You live—vivid, unyielding—in my mind, my heart, my very soul.
The war hero, the athlete of legend,
The jurist of sharp mind and sharper resolve—
Yet to me, always, my Dumb Dumb Daddyo.
I miss you,
But gratitude rises like the sun in me,
For the legacies you left behind,
For the lessons woven into my being—
That the more you do something,
The easier it becomes,
That even in the face of a world full of doubt,
I would be okay—
No, better than okay.
I would soar.
You taught me the strength of will,
The vastness of the heart,
That caring too much is a gift, not a curse—
That tears are treasures,
A sign of a soul unafraid to feel.
To endure grief, disappointment,
And yet still laugh,
Still stand tall,
Still reach out to others with hands open and warm.
From you, I learned:
To make friends of strangers,
To turn rivals to neighbors,
And enemies to allies.
To love unconditionally,
To serve without asking for return,
To live fully, boldly, without regret.
Oh, Dad—
You endure in me,
In every tear shed, in every hearty laugh,
In every effort to create, to share, to love.
And though I miss you,
I carry you always,
A light within that cannot be extinguished,
A legacy I will never stop living.
