It was the beginning of my eighth grade year in school. We were starting to enter essays in contests for language arts class. One of the the essay prompts was "Who is your hero?" Impedieyly a trace of a thought came to my mind. My father. But I put that off. Sometimes I wanted to not bring up my father so I could avoid telling other people of my fathers passing. But then I thought deeply. I thought who is my hero? It was obvious, my father. So I wrote about him. It took me days but finally when I finished it was the best essay I have ever written. I do not know yet if my essay won the contest but I know it won for me and my mother. 

My dark days lasted a few months after my father died. These were the months when I believed my life was over. These were also the months when I would try communicating with my deceased father. Some days my life seems like this again. I was only 11 when my father died of colon cancer. So what was I going to do? I have a message for all grievers, especially children. If you think your life is over, it's not. Be strong. Be strong. Be strong. If I survived my fathers death at 11 years old, you can survive the passing of your loved one too. My father was the most loving person I ever  met. And although I want to be with him in heaven, I know he would want me to be here.