Another Birthday in Heaven...

Today, my dad would be 80 years old. This is almost hard to fathom. He was 77
when he passed, and his last year was probably the slowest and worn down I had
ever seen him in my whole life. Growing up, I never thought my dad looked his
age. He had a youthful appearance that I attribute to being so active and always
on the go, despite that wheelchair he sat in for 55 years.

My dad was fiercely loyal and faithful. He had a silly side. He was very set in his ways and felt strongly in the things he believed in. He was the epitome of a family man and wanted nothing more than to be with his family. He was always determined to take care of us and would do everything in his power to do just that. He was strong, had an amazingly big heart, and would cry at sad movies. He was my hero.

This is the third birthday of his that we have celebrated without him. And like every other day, I will think about him, and miss him, and wish that he were still here.

He is still very much a part of our lives. We talk about him often and I am
convinced that I have turned into him with his little quirks, such as constant
note-taking and list-making at work. I used to tease for making notes to read
his notes and when he would re-write all his notes. I do the same thing now and
it makes me smile every time.

We go to Crystal Beach every single month on the 4th, and will be there tonight (please don’t rain!). It’s slightly ironic that he passed away on the 4th of December and his birthday is on the 4th. Every single month my mom and I go up there for sunset. We’ve only been rained out once. It gets more and more
beautiful every month and it’s very comforting to be there, knowing how much he
enjoyed it.

So today, on your 80th birthday, Daddy, I hope you have one heck of get-together up in heaven with our other loved ones. You are in good company up
there. We will be thinking about you. I hope you know how much we all still miss
you.

Happy birthday, Daddy…. I love you very much.