Hi Dad,

Yeah, I know your birthday was a few days ago.  I just got back from a trip to FL to be with everyone for the first of your birthdays without you.  We spent a lot of time in the car, but the trip was well worth it and we spent tons of quality time with the family.  I kind of wish it didn’t have to end.

So last Thursday I loaded all of the kids (except the oldest) into the car and we headed down to FL.  There was a gathering organized to celebrate your birthday and many people were invited.  It was a long trip down (11 hours one way), but one we endured for the chance to spend time with the family and celebrate your life.

We got to spend a good amount of time with E, and aunt M.  My awesome sisters V and R were also present a good amount of time, and I had a chance to interact with them quite a bit.  To be honest, I probably overdid it.  I tried to share a lot about me, so they could get to know me better.  Sometimes I feel like I have diarrhea of the mouth and just don’t know when to shut it.  I had a really good time interacting with everyone, and seeing the kids do so as well.  I do wish my oldest daughter could have come as well, but she wasn’t able to get away as easily.

The actual day of your birthday, there were a lot of people over.  Some of them I knew, some of them knew me, some of them I probably should have known, but didnt.  But I’ll get there.  It was a good time.  Aunt A was there, and she’s a riot.  R’s whole family was there (they actually spent the whole weekend, for the most part) as well as V’s boyfriend.  And there were a ton of others, but I’d be lying if I said I’d be able to remember everyone’s names.

At one point, a number of us all wrote something about a memory with you, and we put it in a jar.  Later that evening, we read through them and both laughed and cried.  Some were very touching, and some were sad.  And some were downright funny (going to get a beer and pizza after your oldest daughter was born?.. lol).  I shared my paddleboat memory from TY park.  I can still remember how excited I was, and how you were so accommodating to drive the boat into the low hanging branches.  It’s one of my favorite memories, period.

Listening to everyone elses memories about you gave me a pang of regret.  I didn’t get the opportunity to be raised by you like others did, and the things they said about you made me profoundly sad.  I very much wish that I had you in my life when I was young, during those influential years.  The same with my sisters, I still know so little about them, though I am trying to fix that.

A long story short, it was a nice gathering of people who loved you.  You touched the lives of many people, and a lot of them showed up to share how much of an impact you made in their lives.

I love you dad, and miss you.