My dad died when I was 14. He was 40.
I've been doing quiet math ever since: how many years until I'm as old as he ever got.
Nobody warns you that grief can show up 20 years later, on an ordinary day.
@DearS_o_n It’s never too late to start again! I always thought I was late in my late 20s, then again in my early 30s. Now in my mid-30s I’ve realized I’m right on time!
Losing a parent also means losing someone who remembered versions of you that you can’t remember yourself.
A childhood question can surface years later, and the person who knew the answer is gone.