Father’s Day

1. My dad died at 9:50am, the day after Father’s Day. I went with my brother and sister-in-law to sign papers at the hospital so the body can be released while the rest of my family prepared our home for the wake.

2. It’s a little unnerving to be fitting suits my dad will wear for his funeral. But I’m nearest his build so it was the easiest way to pick the right size.

3. We chose a large, beautiful hardwood (oak) casket with a light brown finish. The owner of the funeral service said this was the same casket used for a prominent lawyer-politician’s burial.

4. A lot of people whose lives my dad has touched have been posting tributes in social media. They make for strange reading— my head acknowledges he has died, but my heart is still finding it hard to accept that fact as true.

5. I’m reminded of a lesson he once told us at the dinner table (when he was embroiled in the middle of a very public, very contentious issue that threatened his political career and everything he has built his whole life) —

“Just always try to do what you think is right, what your conscience tells you is correct. The world has a way of taking care of everything else.”

I’ve tried to live by this lesson every day of my life. The most simple of instructions, but also the hardest thing to do in the world.

6. I miss you Dad. I know I could have been a better son, but I promise to live a life that will make you proud. I love you.