Eighteen years ago yesterday I walked out of an exam to find one of my favorite teachers waiting for me. His normally smiling face looked solemn. As I approached where he stood he motioned to me and took me aside. My friends stopped to wait for me, also unsure what was happening.
He started to speak, paused and began to cry. When he regained his composure he said, “There is no good way to tell you this, Brian, but I have the terrible burden of telling you that your father passed away this morning.”
Eighteen years later typing those words still makes me cry. I think back on the naïveté that I carried into the exam with me that morning. That 21 year old has gone through a lot of life since then and though he was not here with me my dad has guided every step of the way.
Here’s to you, dad. I love you, miss you and will forever be grateful for you.
