My father was one of my best friends, not just a father nor an older mentor.
He was everything I ever needed him to be, and would extend a helping hand in nearly every situation throughout my life.
When I lost my apartment at 25 due to unforeseen circumstances, he refinished the attic and let me stay at home as long as I needed to. While I was back on my feet in a matter of months, I never forgot the good will that my parents extended to me, especially my father. It definitely taught me how I should be as a parent in the future and how I should aspire to be in my adult life, unlike the poor friends of mine who were shafted with terrible families and only felt pain when they were in their households prior to moving out in early adulthood. On top of being a generous man, my father was also extremely skilled with his hands. He started out as a carpenter before taking an interest in welding. People at his company were talking about an ironworker shortage in the building industry. These men and women are responsible for laying and welding together all of the steel rebar used to reinforce concrete structures. Everything from home foundations to huge bridges rely on steel rebar at their core to keep them from crumbling under insane amounts of weight, every single day. Sadly, after years of being a skilled master rebar welder, my father passed away in his sleep last weekend. It was a huge sur[prise and I’m still trying to process it. I will try to think of the positive memories only, but it’s hard when my dad and I had such a close relationship.