The Funeral

A funeral, a celebration, a home going?  I was sure as the day is long, this was going to be the most horrendous, traumatic event.  But you know what?!  It wasn't....

The day was filled with love, friends, family and nonstop memories of my Dad.  I shed tears, I smiled and above all I realized that everyone saw my Dad exactly as I did and loved him so much.  He was so loved and appreciated by so many people.  Over and over I heard how he had helped people, laughed with people and cared about people.  In addition,  I can't begin to count how many times I heard people say to me, "Oh, he loved and adored you so much, he talked about you all the time, he was so proud of you!"  It warmed my heart. 

Something very near and dear to me was being able to get up and honor my Dad by speaking at his funeral.  I wasn't sure I could do it but the most amazing thing happened that day...I felt my Dad all around me.  He wrapped his arms around me, held me up and made me strong. 

I did this for him and I'm sharing it with you. 

A Daughter Needs a Dad……

A daughter needs a dad who will always have time to give her hugs and kisses, who doesn’t mind when she steps on his shoes while dancing and who will always make sure she has a place to come home to and who will never think she is too old to need him.   

**for instance, even now at the age of 35, dad would take the time to go out and patrol the pool and deck area for any spiders before I would arrive and have a panic attack**

A daughter needs a dad so she will know what it is like to be somebody’s favorite.

**There is nothing in the world like being a daddy’s girl and it is a title I hold with honor**

A daughter needs a dad to be the safe spot she can always turn to, to show her how it feels to be loved unselfishly, to be the standard against which she will judge all men and who will influence her life even when he isn’t with her.

A daughter needs a dad so that she will have at least one hero who will not let her down, to persevere through hardship and who will let her know that while she may not be the center of someone else’s world, she is the center of his. 

A daughter needs a dad to teach her what it means to always be there and teach her how things work, to show her how to fix her favorite things….or just pick up the phone and call Brian, who will make it all better b/c of the extensive HOW TO FIX EVERYTHING knowledge dad has transferred to him.    

A daughter needs a dad to show her that true love is unconditional and to help her find her way in life. 

A daughter needs a dad to learn that when he says it will be okay soon, it will.

A daughter needs a dad so that when no one else is there for her, she can close her eyes and see him. 

And Finally, a daughter needs a dad to make the complex simple and the painful bearable, to tell her that all is not hopeless, even when she feels it is and to join her journey when she is too afraid to walk alone. 

**I don’t yet know how to live or exist in a world without him, but I have to believe that he is surrounding me, will pick me up when I fall, drop little hints to guide me, and hopefully, remind me every day of how much I was loved.

 
I love you so much dad and I am so proud to be your daughter.  xoxo, Sam