So much has happened...

Hello all, it has been sometime since I have been on here and shared. Last year was crazy. I had so much going on that this blog got pushed aside so that I could deal with all the other stuff. 
Well now I am back and I am determined to make this year a better year. I lost my Dad last year and it was the hardest thing I have ever gone through to date in my life. But from his death came a determination within myself to live every day to its fullest. LIVE each day and not just go through the days...I want my life to be productive and positive and I want to have a good and positive influence on others. 
I learned a lot about my Dad after he died. I learned just how sick he was and how weak he was...but through that he kept on keeping on. And not just that...he was positive and happy and he helped others. Even when he only had weeks to live he still was focused on others. We had so many folks in the neighborhood come to our house and express their love for my Dad. The guy downtown that was in the same kind of wheelchair as Dad. He would be feeling down and Dad would talk to him and make him feel better. That man was in tears when he found out about Dad...he said that Dad was his friend and that he would miss him so much. Then there was the Garbage Men. They told Mom that Dad would race them in their Dump truck...while he was in his WHEELCHAIR. Then there is the mechanic that took care of all of Mom and Dad's vehicles for years...he brought soda and cups and ice to our house because he wanted to do something for us because Dad meant so much to him. And this wonderful mechanic continues to take care of Mom...and it is because of Dad that he does it. Dad's influence and reach went way beyond anything we could ever imagine.
But what sticks with me and what makes me want to pull myself up from the bootstraps is the though of my Dad living his life to the fullest to the VERY end. I spoke with him about a week before he died and he was happy and vibrant and LIVING. I want that for me. I want that for my life. I can only hope that I have half the influence for good that my Dad had. 
I love you Dad. I miss you like crazy but want you to know that I will live. And I will try to live well...and be like you. Cause you were the coolest guy I know.