This is just to say...

There have been a few questions about what happened this week, so I thought I would give a quick recap. I'm not asking for a response or comment... I'm simply putting the information out there.

My dad passed away the other day.

Your condolences, prayers, kind wishes and words are appreciated more than I can express.

I did not have a relationship with him, so I can't really tell you anything.
I don't know if he was sick. I don't know if he was in pain. I don't know if it was sudden.

I simply don't have any details.

If you'd like to offer comfort, I would love to grab a drink and talk about how wonderful my mom and brothers are. How we struggled through really hard times and came through it a so much stronger and tightly knit family. I'd love to tell you what great dads they are to my five amazing nephews and nieces. And how I watch with wonder as they devote their lives to them.

And I can tell you how empty my world would be if I lost any of them.

I would tell you how, in the past few years I've come to know my half-siblings and even got to spend time playing blackjack til the wee hours with my baby half-brother in Vegas.

We can talk about your family. How they drive you crazy but you still love them. How you miss them. How often you call your mom. And we can resolve to tell them as often as we can how much they mean to us.

We don't, however, need to talk about my dad. I don't harbor any ill will. No resentment. No anger. But I also don't have any stories to tell. Our relationship was severed and I made peace with that decision, so there's no need to bring it up.

If we want to learn anything from this, let it be to cherish the family we have. The family we were given, or the family we chose. They don't last forever.

Thank you again.