Today is a very hard day for me. My dad died. It happened sometime during the night – while he was sleeping. It appears he was not even aware that it was happening. He went to sleep, and did not wake up.

In a way it was completely and totally a surprise. Even though he had been in the hospital a couple of weeks ago for some heart issues, he was doing really well. He even had a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday during which the doctor expressed how pleased he was with how well my dad was doing. There was really no reason to think he would die after only being out of the hospital for a week.

My brain is having a difficult time coming to grips with the fact that my dad is dead. My heart aches. I am going to miss him so much. I am so blessed that I had the opportunity to rebuild our relationship before this happened.

My dad was not perfect, but he is my hero. It never mattered to him the state of our relationship, he was always there for me. He was quick to put aside the many times I caused him pain, and these last few months with him were wonderful. I have many good memories of him that I will always cherish.