One year ago my life changed.

Last April 1st my dad was diagnosed with cancer. All we knew at first was that there was a tumor on his liver and it didn’t look good. He had an appointment with an oncologist in two weeks.

He never made it to that appointment. The day after his diagnosis, he went into the hospital and treated for swelling and jaundice.

This was the start of a month long nightmare filled with hospitals, hospice, tests, tears, shock and sadness. It ended in the early morning hours of May 2nd with my dad quietly passing away.

I cannot believe it’s been a year since the nightmare began. It’s been a year since I saw my dad.

As hard as that time was, I have begun to make peace with what happened. It was his time. It was what it was.

He was so unbelievably strong. He understood it was his time. Understood it was part of life and accepted it.

I am so thankful for that time with him. We said what needed to be said. Shared what needed to be shared. Do I have questions I’d like to ask him and stories I’d like to share? Yes. I will always have things left unsaid. But that time was a gift. Some do not get a warning or get a time to resolve. We had a month.

As hard as it all was, I cherish the month of April 2010.