My Dear Daughter,
I have loved you from the moment you came into this world. I have always known that—and I pray you have known it too.
For more than forty years, I have tried to express my love in many ways: in how I spoke to you and how I listened, in how I encouraged you or, at times, discouraged you, in how I stood beside you or, at times, stood against you, in how I supported you, and even in how I scolded you.
Through all of it—then and now—I have loved you.
Is it enough that you are always in my thoughts, that for now all of my love must travel across distance? Is it enough? I ask myself this again and again.
Still, I must accept what nature grants me.
Your place is in my heart, always— regardless of what I do or how I move through this life. Your place can never be taken or filled by anyone, anything, anywhere, at any time.
I will be with you again when my time comes. Until then, know that you carry all my love.
Your sorrowful Dad
Monterey, CA Dec 2016