In my life I have been blessed with two very special men.  One of them was my step-father, Larry.  This picture captures so much of his charisma, but that is just a small piece of who he was.  A loving husband, supportive father, dedicated grandfather, cherished friend.. a very special soul.  A man with a heart so big, his love showed no limits.  This man managed to put a smile on the faces of almost all that crossed his path.

In September of 1997 he was diagnosed with brain cancer.  He went in for brain surgery in October of 1997 and the doctors removed a tumor the size of an egg.  The doctors were amazed that he made it through his surgery, much less showed no signs of the cancer or had any side effects after the surgery.  In the fall of 1998 he suffered a seizure and the doctors discovered that the cancer had returned and surgery, radiation, and chemo were no longer options.  The doctors only gave him two more months to live.  But not this man.  His courage and his strength battled as hard and as long as it could.  On April 8, 1999, he took his last breath.
 
 

Dearest Dad,

I dont even know where to start.  You have made such an amazing impact on my life.  You were always there when I needed you no matter what opinions you had.  You may have nudged me here and there... told me how stupid my decisions were... laughed at me or laughed with me.. but you were always.. always there to support me.  You were always more than just a step father.. more than just a friend.  You spent so much of your life being down on yourself for things you thought you had done, but god, if you could have only seen the man that everyone else saw when they looked at you.  You have touched so many lives, Dad, especially mine.  LOL.. I remember the stories you used to tell, many of them untrue, LOL, but they sure kept everyone laughing.  You weren't serious very often, spent much of your time and energy making others laugh.  I will always remember the laughter, but I will also remember the tears as you would tell us how much you loved us.  We love you too Dad, and we always will.  Thank you for being you and for being a part of my life.  I love you.

During my dad's battle with brain cancer, some very special friends at SpiritWeb held a healing circle for him.  It was a very moving, wonderful experience.  During this healing circle one of the members asked if my family would mind if a few people sent cards to my father to let him know people were sending him love.  Not only did members from the healing circle send cards, but Hestia forwarded my father's story to several of her friends, and a dear friend, Serena, put a prayer request on her mailing list.  Over the next few weeks we were amazed at the cards that came in.  They came in from all over the world.  A little reminder that no matter what hardships may be going on in this world... there is still so much love to be shared.

If I could thank each of you individually, I certainly would.  This is my attempt at doing so.  The following is a partial list of those who sent cards to my father.  There were so many cards that came in and during my dad's hospital move many of them got shuffled around.  More names will be added as we sort through things.  If any are missed please accept my apologies and know that each and every card sent was read to my father.  I will not be using full names in order to protect your privacy.  Thank you to each and every one of you.