My Second Birthday Without Papa: Realizations

This coming Monday is my 30th birthday- the 2nd birthday celebration without Papa. The thought of his passing still brings me to tears. I will never get over it. I miss him on the regular days and miss him terribly on the special events and great milestones in my life. While I was able to learn a lot from him when he was still alive, I've realized that I've gained several life lessons when he left us. Brevity of life, appreciation,  self-reflection by being in touch with myself and spending quality time with my loved ones are just some of the few realizations that I was able to ponder on when he died. I admit that I've been doing a lot of new things now, which I was always procrastinating on before. Bold choices and drastic decisions are also a part of it. I don't know if I'm running out of time, but sure his passing led me to this thinking that we have to maximize our time here on Earth. Grab the opportunity that God has given us. Live the life the way we want it to be. Build our dreams not only for ourselves but for our children and the succeeding generations. We may not be able to stay here on Earth for good- but as one saying goes, we should hope to create something that will last- forever.

"Dear Lord, thank you for the blessing of another year. Please grant me as well as my loved ones many more birthdays to come. And help us live by the wisdom our Papa has shared with us. Papa, thank your for being an instrument for me to have the gift of life. We love and miss you!"