Strength.
My father always showed it in his silence. In his actions. Even when he said nothing, he always bore strength in his eyes. When his tears fell after I came back from the hospital with a colostomy - his eyes were hard and his tears bore strength. People speak of tears of joy, of sadness, or relief. But his tears of strength gave me the power to push through.

Thought
My father and I shared very few words together, and most people would see that as a point of regret. But I do not. When we spoke, we spoke our minds. We thought alongside each other. Our words rang with thoughtfulness toward each other. Even the disagreements and conflict we had, we had them because we thought of each other.

Action
My father and I are both men of few words. And we always tried to let our actions speak for themselves, myself moreso. We never said it often to each other, but everything we did for each other and for others - was always out of thought and love for each other. We were and always will be men of action - not word.

Hard
My father was always a hard man to read and a hard man in general. We wear our heart on our sleeves, but we roll up our sleeves to get things done. When my father was unable to do a lot of things, he asked me to do them. To grab things from higher shelves. To lift the jugs of water we like to stockpile. To trim the bushes. Now...it’s to take care of his wife and my mother.

Joy
My father always tried to make people smile, even if it didn’t work. But the fact that he held so much joy within him can move mountains. My mother does not share my sense of humor, and it’s hard for me to convey my joy with her. But it is there. Always. And there is more now that I know my father is in the arms of his parents and siblings. And most importantly, the arms of God, Our Father.

He will always be the man that taught me to be strong.
He will always be the man that taught me to be a man of thought.
He will always be the man that taught me to be a man of action.
He will always be the man that taught me to be hard on myself and others.
He will always be the man that taught me joy. He will always be the man that taught me everything.

Pa, I know you are here with us. And you will always be with us in our hearts and in our thoughts and in our deeds. I am proud to call you my father. And I hope you are proud to look down on me as I move forward. I hope you are proud to look down at our family as we demonstrate Strength, Thought, Action, Hardness, and Joy. You can rest. You are at your destined Home. Mama is in good hands.