i never knew what a father was supposed to be until he showed me.

he didn’t owe me anything.
but he gave me everything.
his time. his strength. his love.

he raised me like i was his own.
and in every way that matters, i was.

he taught me how to stand tall.
how to be honest, even when it hurts.
how to find peace in quiet moments.
how to care, deeply, without fear.

it’s been a year now.
a year without his voice.
without his laugh.
without that steady presence that once anchored me.

life just keeps going.
the sun still rises. the seasons still change.
and somehow, i keep moving with them.

but there’s a certain pain in everything i do.
a quiet sting in every moment he isn’t here to see.
i miss him every day.
not always in loud ways.
just in the silence between things.

there’s so much i’ll never get to share with him.
the first real success. the milestones. the late night talks.
the chance to show him the man i’m becoming.
to make him proud, like i always wanted to.

he believed in me before i knew how to believe in myself.
he saw something in me.
and even now, a year later, when the world feels heavy and loud,
i try to see myself the way he did.

life is still beautiful.
even with the ache.
even with the silence.
even with all the unfinished moments.

he was the father i never had.
and he still is.
in everything i do.
in everything i build.
in everything i love.

i love you.

it’s the last thing i said while they took you away for the last time.

and i always will.

if there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. i’ll stay there forever.

thank you for believing in me.