RIP Dad

My gift to you is to live my life each day the way I know you'd have wanted me to. To the fullest and surrounded by people I love and who love me. Happy. With no regrets. You taught me everything that matters. That was your gift to me. You taught me to be like you. Honest, sincere, strong, smart, fearless and open-hearted. You taught me to stand up for what I believe in and for others too. To never judge or discriminate. To always do the right thing especially when no one is looking. To demand. To never be quiet when I need to shout. To walk away. To stick it out. To get up and try again. To tell the truth. To recognize the good in people even when no one else does and to do good expecting nothing in return. You taught me to question, to respect, to care, to circle the wagons, to never forget or take people for granted and to always tell them how I feel even if it means facing rejection or making a fool out of myself. To be passionate and compassionate, loyal, generous and kind to myself and to those around me, to be patient, to forgive. To give second chances and to be brave enough to ask for them too. To never be too proud to say I'm sorry or too afraid to admit that I'm wrong. To not let pain and hurt change who I really am. To laugh. To create, to be a poet and a clown, to not let what people think stop me from being me, to appreciate and cherish every moment, to find beauty in the smallest of things. To risk. To let people in, to smile and make others smile, to never grow up, to dream. TO ALWAYS DREAM. To believe, to never give up and never settle. To love completely and unconditionally the way you loved me. You taught me that I deserve everything and the moon and the stars too. Because of that and so much much more you are my hero, my role model, my moral compass, my heart and my soul... my home. You are all that is good in me. You always were. I miss you. It's lonely and sometimes terrifying without you but when it gets really bad and I can't hold back the tears and I feel completely broken and alone, I hear your voice telling me that everything is gonna be okay. And I believe you because I always did and you never let me down. NEVER. Thank you for my second chance, I won't blow it. I can only hope that when it's all said and done, I made you proud. I love you Daddy