Dear Dad,
First of all, I know there is no Internet where you are, so you won’t be reading this. Some may say being in a place where there is no Internet truly is heaven, but I digress. No, I am writing this because you’re on my mind right now. And the Internet always wants to know what’s on your mind.
I miss you. No big surprise there. About this time last year, we said goodbye to you. You were surrounded by your kids, were at peace and passed on your 59th wedding anniversary.
You went out your way.
We made sure mother was taken care of until she died. You’d have wanted that. The past year has allowed me to have a much deeper understanding of the man you were. What did I find out? Even though we wear the same shoe size, I have big shoes to fill.
Your biggest strength? I don’t think I’ve ever met a man who loved his family more. When dementia stripped so much from you, you’d still light up when you saw us walk into the room. All that terrible disease did was expose who you really were.
You also had a wicked sense of humor and a gift of quietly helping others. You also protected us from things that we didn’t understand until recently.
A good dad will do that.
On this one-year anniversary of your death, I’m thinking of you. And I want the whole world to know you were a great Dad. And that your kids miss you very much.
My best memory? Ten years ago today as we celebrated your 50th annivesary in Destin. You were playing like a little kid with my boys in the surf. They loved their Papa Dave.
And so do I.
Proud to be your son,
Marshall