Hello everyone and Happy New Year. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas last week and was able to spend time with the people you love. For all of those who were not able to do that because of the snowstorm, I feel for you. This holiday has been rough for a lot of people and let’s face it, the holidays are sometimes the opposite of what you wish they could be.

Yesterday was the anniversary of my dad’s death. He died on New Year’s Eve of 2018 of an obstruction in his lungs after surgery for colon cancer. He didn’t tell me that he had colon cancer and I don’t know why. Maybe he didn’t want me to feel sorry for him or treat him like a sick person. Maybe he didn’t want me to be afraid. Whatever his reasons were, he took them to his grave.

I thought about my dad a lot this week and all of the things that made my dad extraordinary. Like how he survived the Great Depression, his parent’s abusive marriage and their splitting up, joining the army and the marines, and dealing with racism. He was a man of many talents in music, sewing, clothes design, and photography. He also made the best hot chocolate I had ever tasted because he made it with love.

I hope everyone who lost a family member during this time of year, spends some time thinking about them and reflecting on the life they had. It helps with the grief and also helps to understand why they were the way they were. Although my father and I didn’t always get along, I never stopped loving him and I still talk to him hoping his spirit can hear me. Wherever he is.  I hope this year will be better than the last and I hope we all get to accomplish new goals and for the most part, stay safe.

Until next time.