Jana's Corner & One and Done Recipes

Dear Dad,

Happy 83rd Birthday.

I never imagined I’d be writing you a birthday letter instead of handing you a card and hugging you.

Birthdays always mattered to you. Actually…every celebration mattered to you.

If a baby was being born, a birthday or graduation to celebrate, a wedding to attend, or simply family gathered around the table, you were there. You never missed a celebration because the people you loved were worth celebrating.

Family wasn’t just important to you. It was everything.

One of the greatest gifts you gave us was making everyone feel like they belonged. If someone became part of our family, they became part of your heart.

You never met a stranger, and you made everyone feel welcomed.

Your laughter filled every room you walked into, your stories made us smile, and your one-liners became part of who we are. We still catch ourselves saying, “That’s something Dad would have said,” and smiling because we can almost hear your voice.

About two years before God called you home, our family began a journey none of us expected.

Cancer became part of our story, but it never became the story of your life. We walked beside you, one day at a time, loving you the best way we knew how.

Those two years changed all of us. They taught us what love looks like.

For me, love looked like talking with you every day.

It looked like celebrating the days when you felt like eating a few bites and praying tomorrow might be even better.

It looked like asking questions, reading reports, keeping notes, and holding on to hope.

It looked like sitting together, talking about family, remembering old stories, and treasuring conversations that once felt ordinary.

As your needs changed, so did ours.

Some days we were caregivers.

Some days we were researchers.

Some days we were cooks.

Some days we were advocates.

Some days we simply sat beside you in silence.

Whatever the day required, we showed up.

Because that’s what love does.

When I look back on those two years, I don’t think first about the hard days. I think about you.

I remember you.

I remember your voice.

I remember your laugh.

I remember the way you loved all of us.

But today is your birthday.

I’ve asked myself if I would do those two years again.

The answer is yes, a thousand times yes.

Without hesitation.

I would gladly walk through every appointment, every difficult conversation, every sleepless night, every moment of uncertainty if it meant having one more day with you.

One more phone call.

One more story.

One more laugh.

One more birthday.

One more ordinary Tuesday.

I miss you more than words can express.

I always will.

But my grief is accompanied by gratitude.

I thank God for every year He blessed us with you.

Eighty-two years could never have been enough.

But what a blessing they were.

Thank you for loving the Lord with your whole heart.

Thank you for loving your family without limits.

Thank you for making every one of us feel like we belonged.

Thank you for never missing a celebration.

Your life was a blessing to all of us, and your legacy lives on in the family you loved so well.

Happy 83rd Birthday, Dad.

Until we meet again…

I love you.

Always.

Your daughter,

Jana