This morning I got the phone call that my father passed away.

I found out he had cancer in March, but over the last 48 hours, his condition deteriorated pretty quickly.  Apparently he had been sick since December but didn’t tell anyone.  Looking back over the last few months, I don’t think my step-mom knew that he was sick.  I can remember when we were at dinner back in February and my step-mom said he needed to go to the doctor because he didn’t have much of an appetite.

I feel so many emotions right now.

I’m sad that he’s gone.

I’m thankful for the last year that I’ve been able to spend getting to know him.

I’m happy that I now have my brothers in my life.

I’m at peace that my dad is no longer in pain.

I was able to talk to him on the phone yesterday morning and, as always, he asked how I was doing and told me how happy it made him to know that my brothers and I were building relationships and getting close.  And again, I thanked him for welcoming me into his life after all this time and that I loved him.

As crazy as it sounds, I truly believe in my heart that he kept fighting for me and my brothers.  When he told me he was sick, he told me that the relationships that I was building with my brothers let him know that everything would be ok. And after talking with my big brother yesterday morning, I know he believes the same thing.

Even though my dad was only in my life for the last year, I’m blessed that I even had the opportunity to get to know him at all…

R.I.P. Thomas L. Blagburn