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Gall Gripes: Three Lessons I Learned From My Dad
I will warn you now — this is not going to be my traditional gripe. This blog post comes from the gut-wrenching and unabashed pain of devastating loss. This is my catharsis.
About My Dad
I met Chris (my Dad) when I was 21 years old and already an “adult.” I knew instantly he was the man my mom had been searching for her entire life. What I didn’t know — but soon learned — is that he also was the father I needed to turn me into a real adult.
Chris was an incredible force of nature and a genuinely good person. In 2020, shortly after he and my mom retired, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He went through multiple surgeries and 12 rounds of chemotherapy in hopes of saving his life. But in the end, none of the procedures were successful. On May 31, 2023, he succumbed to his illness and left an incredible hole in our family.
Chris was practical to the very end, so most of the posthumous decisions were made, making things a little less complicated for my mom and me. However, a month later, the loss of him still hurts like hell. I wallowed in my grief for a couple of weeks and then I started to think about all the lessons I learned from Chris. Believe me, they are plentiful, but here are the top three.
