Dear Dad,
I have two quick things to tell you about today. The first one is kinda random, but as i thought more and more about it, I realized the way I reacted in a situation was all because of the way you taught me to live my life. I was sitting in the library preparing for a busy week.
As i was sitting writing up note cards, I saw an older, indian man, who was trying to copy a book and was extremely confused. He was trying to use a credit card on the campus machines and although i know absolutely nothing about copy machines, I recognized that he needed a Ucard.
Maybe I should have kept studying, but I left my stuff at my table, walked over and started talking to him... just like i could imagine you doing... I let him use the money on my Ucard and copied a chapter of a book for him. I found out he was from Southern India and surprisingly, he is now a Catholic Priest in Utah. He was teaching a few courses at the U and it was overall a great experience helping him and getting to know someone unlike me in so many ways. I know without a doubt i did this because of your example throughout fifteen years of my life.
The second thing is a little lengthy but i would love to share it with you. It was a paper I wrote for a scholarship through the Salt Lake Institute and it was about you. I've written a few papers about you, but i feel as if this one is the truest of the experience.
The Significance of a Life
Clarence Budington Kelland once said, "He didn't tell me how to live; He lived and let me watch him do it." He referred this statement to the role of a father in a child's life. As a child grows throughout his life, he learns from the examples set by the people around him. The most influential people in a child's life are most commonly his parents. They raise him to become the person he is and have a profound affect on their child's character. Like many children, my father affected my life greatly and I looked up to him and the person he was every moment I was with him. He taught me some of the greatest lessons I learned in my life and helped me realize how to strive to be the person I want to become. About three and a half years ago, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and after a nine month long battle with this disease, he passed away.
Transitioning into this new life situation after my father died was difficult. I had not comprehended the role and significance of my father until he was gone. He was always a source of knowledge, full of answers to many hardships in life. With my father gone, I was placed into a situation where I must answer my own questions and strive to take the path which I assumed he would have directed me to take. For months there was an empty seat at the dinner table, an empty spot in the car, and even an empty feeling in my heart knowing my father was gone.
There where nights I spent laying alone in my bed crying myself to sleep wishing I could give my dad one more hug, but with time I have realized the Lord put me through this trial because he knew what I was capable of. He knew I would take the opportunity to grow closer to him through scriptures and prayer. I have gained such a strong testimony of eternal families and the truth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
About two years after my dad passed away, I was diagnosed with major depression. This was an experience full of tears and indescribable sadness. Each day was a challenge and this experience seemed like a battle I would never be able to overcome. Although this was very hard, I never gave up. I turned unto the Lord and knew that someday I would benefit from what I was experiencing. At the time it was hard to go through life day to day, but because I experienced this hardship, I can now see how each day I am able to live is an amazing blessing. I have gained a positive outlook on life through this trial and I was only able to gain this because of the major depression I was faced with.
My father left this life leaving an unforgettable reputation that many people admired him for. He always stayed positive; no matter what adversity he was experiencing. He explained to me before he died that no matter what he was trying to overcome in life, it always seemed so much easier if he simply stayed positive and looked for areas he could be grateful for. After the loss had set in, I realized the opportunity I had to learn from my father and attempt to be more like him. Every day can be the perfect day in life if we let it be. I understood that it all depends on how we look at our situations. By dwelling on the negative we have a harder time seeing the wonderful things in our life we can be grateful for. Although I would give anything to have my dad come home again, I wouldn’t trade the knowledge and strength I have gained through the past four years for anything. Through the past couple months I realized that although I lost my father, I have had spiritual experiences and gained a testimony that I would not be able to gain in any other way. Today, I love life each day and I am so unbelievably grateful for the outlook I have gained through the hardships I was given.
I'll love you forever Dad,
Marie aka Reebok.
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