My dad passed away on Friday...

[Stormhawk]

There are no words for that are adequate. You have my deepest sympathy and a wish that all of you fortunate enough to have had him in your lives will come to dwell upon the joy shared .

 

[daisy2]

I am so sorry for you loss. Your dad seemed like a passionate man who stood up for what he believed in. I am glad you and him were able to have some good times together he supported you and loved you very much.

 

[Tony-NJ]

I'm so sorry!

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

So sorry to read of your loss. From your previous post, he sounds like an exceptional dad -- I'm sure he knew you loved him tons.

 

[zeitzeuge]

I know this is a little late, but I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about the passing of your Father.

 

[ckdsnynt]

I am so sorry for your loss. I will keep you in my prayers. Remember the good times and hold the memories close. They will sustain you in the dark days ahead. It will get easier (I lost my precious mother 17 months ago today) to bear but never easy. You will miss him until the day you die but the days get more bearable and you will learn to laugh about the times you had together and the funny things he said and did and yes, even laugh over the silly arguments you had.
Nothing replaces a parent but the love of your friends will ease the pain. let them be there for you. Hugs to you.

 

[zendisney]

Christal, I am very sorry that you lost your father. I know we do not know each other but I am going to pray for you and your family.
Peace,
Carla Rae

 

[hematite153]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I remember reading about your dad showing up for the protest and crying. It's so great that he was able to show you how much he loved you and I'm sorry that you lost him so young.

 

[ChrizJen]

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. It's been the worst 2 weeks of my life. We buried him yesterday. The service was beautiful. We decided on a catholic ceremony because it was what my grandmother wanted. She's 82 years old and was burying her son. We figured that we should do anything we could to make it easier for her to handle. Each of us kids were asked to write our fondest memory of our dad, and they were compiled and printed onto the church program. I decided that I would use my Prop 8 protest story. I was so touched when the priest, during the sermon, mentioned my story (as well as my brother's and my sister's stories). He set aside his personal religious beliefs to make sure that he acknowledged how important the protest was to me. It was nice.


I also have to mention that if one blessing came out of this whole thing, it's that Jen was able to locate a dear friend of the family. He and my dad were the best of friends all while we were growing up. For as long as any of us could remember, he was always around. But it had been about 6 years since my dad had seen him. We couldn't find him listed, and were thinking that we wouldn't be able to find him. But Jen (God I love that girl!! ) placed an ad on Craigslist, and by some miracle, someone who knew someone who knew him saw that ad and responded!! We got his number and were able to talk to him on Monday night!! He had to fly in from New York, so he wasn't able to make it for Tuesday's visitation, but he was there yesterday for the funeral! After the services were over, we spent hours just talking and laughing remembering the good old days. We all decided that we want to keep in close contact from here on out. It was wonderful.

Anyway, I'm babbling again. So I'll just say thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers. They're definitely appreciated.
-Christal

 

[chell]

Christal I saw and posted on your thread on the CB, but didn't know all the details you posted here. Once again, I am so sorry you lost your father. I'm sorry you didn't have the time to get as close as you would have liked with him and to tell him everything you wanted. Try to come to peace with that though. Don't hold onto those thoughts. Let them go the best way you know how. I'm sure he knew how you felt. I bet he could see it in your face. I'm sure he would see that special light in your face when he looked at you. You can "hear it" in your post. You can bet he knew it and he knows it now. He had to know it to give up practicing his religion. You should have no regrets concerning your relationship with your father! None at all!!! You must be one awesome daughter and you were so very blessed to have one awesome father. Remember he will always be with you and will always be a part of you.

 

[OrlandoMike]

I am so glad to hear you got a little bit of good out of this. The Prop 8 story and meeting an old friend is a great way to remember your father.

 

[tiggr33]

Christal,
I just returned from vacation and saw your posts. My sincere condolences to you and your family. I have been a member of the "club" for going on 21 years. I am very sorry to hear of you joinging the ranks. Glad to hear you were able to track down someone so important to your Dad. I found it comforting to remember both crying and laughing are OK.

 

[ChrizJen]

Thanks Chell and everyone else....and tiggr...I'm glad you mentioned the laughing and crying thing. I know my dad would want all the laughter we can muster right now. But the crying thing. I feel like such an idiot because I'm still just not able to predict what's going to make me cry. And in the evenings, when everything starts to get quiet, I think a lot and get sad and emotional. Things are slowly getting better though.

 

[spacemermaid]

I'm very sorry for the loss of your Dad. He sounds like a wonderful person.

 

[chell]

Remember a year from now you will still have times that you will cry and that will be okay. Don't get upset over crying or over the fact that you still get upset. Take it one day at a time and remember the fact that you are only human and you are dealing with this the best way you can. It is a huge wound that takes time to heal. Sadly you can't go to CVS and buy Neosporin for this wound. I wish I had a secret recipe to make some up for you. If I did it would be on it's way to you right now.

Sorry if I mentioned this in your other thread but consider going through grief counseling through hospice. They have great books they will give you and their staff members are beyond awesome. The service is free and is available for a year after a loved one passes away. You may not think you need it but it really does help to have someone who isn't connected to the situation to be able to sit down with and talk to about how you are feeling. I think it would be a huge help especially since you have some unresolved issues like not telling your dad he was your hero, etc. Like I said before you have to let those things go so they don't eat at you. I'm talking purely from experience here.

Sorry that I have gone on so long. I can just see here what a great person you are and I want to help take away your pain.