And Today We Remember...

While most people are remembering those that were lost on September 11th, my family is remembering the man who celebrated his last birthday that year. I know it's a day that I will certainly never forget, not because of the attack, but because it was the last time we celebrating my dad being alive. He turned 39 that year, far too young for it to be his last. My dad lost his battle with cancer only 5 months later.

My dad was an amazing man. Even though my parents split up when I was 2 he was always a constant part of my life. I was lucky enough for my parents to remain friends and always put me ahead of whatever they had going on between the two of them. My mom tells me that she used to call him and wish him "Happy not anniversary!" every year because they had gotten married on his birthday when they were 18.

As any typical child would be, I had wanted my parents to get back together. But I'm extremely grateful that they didn't. I ended up with two amazing step-parents when I was 9 and am thankful for it every day. The woman my dad would spend the rest of his days with did something that being with my mom never could have. It made him happy. He told me once that he had never believed in love at first sight until he met her. She's my mom just as much as my biological mom is. I have a brother and sister from their marriage (I have a lot more from my mom's second marriage) and I wish they would have gotten to know to know him the way that I did. I am grateful that I can actually remember him. I remember his laugh, I remember the foods that he loved, I remember this lessons he taught me and the things that he told me. I remember when he struggled with addiction and I remember the courage he had to ask for help and walk away from it because he love me more than anything else.

I make it a point to talk about him all the time when I'm with my siblings. They're pretty grown up now and I want them to know what an amazing person he was and how proud he would be of them. My mom has done a wonderful job raising them without him, but I will always wish they had been as lucky as I was. Happy birthday daddy and I love you!