MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE

I know Christ lives.
Because He manifests Himself to me through the love I have for my Father—
both the Father in Heaven who guides me still,
and the Father I knew on Earth, who now walks beside me every day.

My Dad was called home in 2005,
but he didn’t disappear.
He stood tall in life—and he stands tall still,
a Guardian Over Dependents.
G.O.D. in his own right, a Veteran, a protector,
a soul who taught me how to live and how to honor.

In 2010, my husband Corey and I gave him a gift—
a headstone, engraved with his name, his honor, and a single red rose.
Not just for the world to see,
but for Heaven to remember
that I did not forget.

I tried to make my siblings accountable too,
because remembrance should be a shared duty.
But even if I stand alone, I stand with him.
It was a wedding gift of love,
from a Daughter and her Husband
to a Father who deserved to be seen—
in stone, in spirit, in sacred memory.

This Memorial Day and every day, I remember my Father.
And I testify that he lives.
As I live.
And that together, we stand—
with Christ,
with courage,
with honor.