Hi Susan, thank you for reading this. 71 is very young and I can’t imagine how hard that was on you knowing how much you adored and loved your father. My mom was 76 and I still felt that was young.

My mother had a big heart but she also had a hard time trying to keep the lines of communication open, I think she danced between being a strict parent (so we would grow up with good morals), she wasn’t abusive, just strict… anyhow, I think that got in the way of better communication between us and I was a social butterfly growing up, mom never was (my father was), so I believe she wasn’t sure how to deal with me.

I remember crying myself to sleep for over 6 months straight after dad died and I wondered if the day would come that I wouldn’t go to sleep crying. It did and I had my “aha” moment within a month or so after I stopped crying.

I don’t think I realized how much his loss affected me until I hit adulthood. I didn’t have a positive male role model who loved me unconditionally to guide me in a way that only a father could- dating guys for one ha.

How long has it been since you lost your dad?