Seven years ago my father died after an extended battle with cancer. I took care of him in the hospital and watched the strongest man I knew return to infancy before slipping away.
He was silent generation, not a boomer, and he had me late in his life. He worked his ass off since we has 14 because his dad died young. He worked in a hardware store, served in the Navy during Vietnam, climbed the corporate ladder, and ultimately ran several businesses.
I love my dad. He was hilarious, brilliant, a patriot, an artist, and he was a hardass.
There were many things I admired about my dad and many things I resented as well. I love all of them because they made me the man I am today.
After he passed, I took my life in a fundamentally different direction than he would have wanted. He meant well, but I am better for it.
Life is precious, but fleeting.
True love is unconditional and indestructable.
Happy 4th πΊπ²