As a pro coach, my Dad influenced a lot of people, but I dare say none more than me.

By his unwitting example, he taught me to be optimistic, positive, to never quit and not to worry about the stuff life throws at you because... that's life. He was one of my very favorite people on the planet and not a day goes by that I don't miss him. Deeply. But just as he taught me many lessons in life, he and God have also taught me many lessons in death. It turns out life's learning curve comes in painful circumstances perhaps more than any other.

So today, four years after I walked my Daddy-O to life beyond life, I pause to sit in the quiet and chat with him a bit, blow him a kiss and whisper, "I love you." Because I have learned from my Papa that while people die, love does not. I now know that love lives on.