Thread by @WesternMastery

This is the first #fathersday without my dad, and although it's difficult to discuss, I will talk about it anyway.

Sometimes you learn more when a person isn't around than when they're still alive and kicking.

My dad lived a great life. When he was young, he was athletic, active, and had a quirky set of humor. He joined a band in his late teens and his twenties, he lifted weights religiously, he made many great friendships, and he got all the girls he wanted.

Unfortunately, after he met my mom and married her, he started to slip up with his health. He stopped eating right, started lifting less, and eventually became overweight and a type 2 diabetic.

Diabetes generally takes a long time to really do damage to the body. He was overweight, but lived reasonably well until he retired in his early 60s. He maintained many strong friendships, went on many trips, and genuinely loved his family.

Until September last year. While at the gym one day, I got a call from my brother. He told me that my dad wasn't waking up, so I told him to call 911.

When the ambulance arrived, I spoke with the EMTs over the phone. One of them told me that my dad's blood sugar was 20, which is dangerously low.

He basically went into shock overnight from a low blood sugar reaction. This was very surprising because he had always woken up when his sugar got low.

But this time, he didn't.

I don't want to get too detailed, but basically, he remained unresponsive and was placed on a ventilator overnight, and was sedated so he wouldn't fight the vent.

When they took him off sedation the next day, he had nothing left. His brain was fried from the lack of oxygen going to it overnight because of his low blood sugar.

We gave him a few days to recover with no success then we decided to pull him off the ventilator per his will.

He died 12 hours later.

So here's just a few things that I learned from him:

Life is short: Appreciate the time with your family and closest friends, because you never know when they'll go.

True familial love is eternal: If you were close to a family member that's deceased, you'll never stop thinking of them. People tell me they haven't stopped thinking of their deceased parents every day, decades later. It's been less than a year but I've had the same experience.

Your legacy is forever: (shoutout to @DrRalphNap) After his death, everyone remembered my dad for his awesome personal relationships, his prankster nature, and his quirky sense of humor. Everyone at the funeral was telling stories about his life and having a blast.

We were told from the funeral home director that it was the most they've ever heard the crowd laugh during a funeral.

What you do and say during your life will echo in the hearts of those who you touched the most during that time, even after you're gone.

Some flaws are more costly than others: My dad was flawed, and we all are. The flaw that did him in, unfortunately, was that he didn't take care of his health until it was too late. Despite my constant advice, he didn't truly listen until his body was very damaged from diabetes.

Great relationships are critical: My dad had MANY deep relationships from high school and beyond. His funeral was filled with people who knew him over the course of many decades. And they really, really missed him after he went.

You'll have mixed emotions after someone is gone: I've known this from before, but it's different when it's your father. I still have mixed feelings about his death. Sometimes it's a feeling of acceptance and sometimes I still say "I can't believe he's gone."

Overall, even though I was naturally very upset to see him go early (70 years old), I have a feeling of love and gratitude that he's been a part of my life and that he played a significant role in shaping me into the man I am today.

So cherish your relationships with your father, sons, and everyone else in your family. You never know how much the time you spend with them and the lessons you teach will mean to them.

Enjoy the holiday and spend quality time with your son and/or father.

On a lighter note, I will now insert the obligatory "Tell your son this" statement here.

Hopefully you got something from this thread.

Thanks for reading.