3 Lessons My Dad is Still Teaching After His Death

My father was a mountain of a man.

Not in the physical sense of the world.

But in the sense of aura. Presence. Strength. Focus. Will.

My dad taught me plenty of lessons through childhood and beyond.

However, in late 2020 he started to lose his strength. He found himself winded and struggling to complete normal tasks that he would knock out with ease.

We thought it was age catching up to him (he’d been going nonstop for 68+ years). You know, just going through the typical stages of life. He’d rest and get back at it.

The doctors thought it was pneumonia, put him on some medications, eventually put him on steroids, and waited.

Nothing changed.

The doctors finally gave him blood work one evening after he still wasn’t getting better.

You guessed it.

It wasn’t pneumonia.

My dad was in the middle of, unknown to him or anyone else around him, a bout with a deadly type of cancer called acute leukemia.

The doctors told us had cancer that evening.

He was gone the next morning.

As traumatic of an experience that was (and we are still working through the ripples of that moment), my dad has continued to teach from the grave.

Here are three “life after death” lessons:

1.) Take pictures and videos

• Trust me. My dad hated photos and videos. He believed it took away from the moment and that we should be able to recall events without some kind of proof (he’s not wrong).
• Now, I’m grateful for the pictures, videos, and sounds that I still do have of my dad.
• I’ve been attempting to balance being present and to document what happens in my life. One day, I’ll be gone and I want those moments to live on for the people who love me.

2.) Nothing stays the same

• It’s cliche, but your life can change in a single moment. I don’t know one person who hasn’t had moments that shifted the trajectory of their lives.
• You can’t plan these things. You can’t predict them. But you can accept that they are going to come.
• Accept that things change — don’t fight the fact — and that all you are responsible for is your response to those things. Everything else is just noise.

3.) Keep the faith

• Whenever things were difficult, my dad would repeat this phrase to help me keep me grounded.
• Keep the faith — keep moving forward, keep working at it, keep pushing through, keep focusing on the important stuff. Keep the faith.
• This is great guidance regardless of your religion, creed, or situation.

My dad is gone, but he didn’t pass his legacy on through finances or real estate or inheritance.

His legacy was passed down through the lessons he taught while he was alive.

And the lessons he continues to teach today.