Remembering My Father, Six Years Later

My father passed away six years ago on this day, April 3, 2019. (Requiem Aeternum...) Here he is in this picture sometime around the year 2011 - the O.G. "Papa" (for the Virginia Janaros) hugging his youngest granddaughter, who was then around four or five years old (she's 18 now!). It's striking for me to realize that I am now the "Papa" and my oldest granddaughter is almost four years old!!

So much has happened in these past six years. My grief has "turned a corner" and is finding its place within the ongoing, ever-changing, not-always-easy but ultimately beautiful history of our family. 

But there are still times when I miss him (for example, looking at this picture🥹). I want to talk to him about this new stage of my life, about "elderhood" (i.e. "growing old," but not just in the negative sense). I want to talk to him about the wild winds that are blowing through our nation and the world in this present moment (which are beyond anything he could have imagined while he was still living on this earth). 

I believe he remains "close" to us. We carry on his legacy in this world. I feel like he is "encouraging me" - from his resting place within the Heart of Jesus - to remain faithful, to trust in God, and to love my family. He was a quiet but deeply dedicated example of all these things throughout his life.

I love you, Dad. May the Lord reward you in His eternal joy.