Remembering Dad

“To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

With today being June 13 and Sunday being Father’s Day, we wanted to do a special post today in remembrance of our father. Four years ago today, our dad passed away from melanoma less than two months after his diagnosis at the age of 53. Though this was by far the hardest event we’ve ever experienced, we were so fortunate to have such an amazing role model in our lives.

Trying to find words to describe how wonderful our father was is nearly impossible. He taught us the importance of kindness and to treat each individual with respect, as you never know what kind of battle that person could be fighting. He always had a positive outlook on life and was the most compassionate person I’ve ever known. He mastered the balance of hard work and family, and with our mom, never missed a ballet recital, cheer competition, or tennis match despite what commitments he had. He taught us the value of giving back to the community through volunteer organizations and non-profits by serving on the board of every organization, as well as the impact one can make by lending a helping hand to those less fortunate.

He gave us culture and knowledge through endless traveling, which is a passion we will forever continue to explore. We can never thank him enough for allowing us to leave our small town in Alabama to attend boarding school in Virginia, guiding us to where we are today, despite how much he and our mom missed us. He always encouraged us to take those once-in-a-lifetime experiences to help us grow as a person. He was our biggest supporter, and though our time with him was short, we are the luckiest girls I know.

As each day passes and we continue to grow, we strive to live each day with the morals and lessons he bestowed upon us. Though it has been a hard road these past four years, the three of us girls and our amazing mom have become four of the strongest women I know. We can only imagine our dad would be proud to see where we all are today and how close our family has and will always remain.

We wanted to share one of our favorite quotes from our dad that we think we should all remember:

“We should always be trying to achieve something, but remember that relationships, not achievements, will give you the greatest feelings.” – Dad

Happy Father’s Day!