blue flannel shirt.

Today marks 1,534 days without my dad. I miss him a lot today. Don't get me wrong--I always miss him, but some days are worse than others. Today is one of those days. I photographed a wedding yesterday, and the father-daughter dance brought me to tears. It was beautiful. The father, fighting back tears, was holding his daughter tightly as she cried into his shoulder. I often think about the fact that my dad will not be there to walk me down the aisle or dance with me at my wedding. It hurts. A lot.

One of the material things that I cling to on days like these is an old and tattered blue flannel shirt. My dad loved flannel shirts. If you take one glance at this particular one, you would understand just how much he loved wearing it. It may seem silly, but when I wear it, it somehow makes me feel like a little part of him is still with me. It is definitely not "fashionable"--it's way too big, incredibly faded, and has a hole in it--but that doesn't bother me. So if you saw me today wearing a faded flannel shirt that should have been thrown away years ago, you now know why :P

They say that losing a loved one gets easier with time, but I don't believe them. Losing my dad at 16 is something that continues to affect me. It's hard hearing other girls talk about things that they do with their dad. Though they still have the opportunity to make new memories, I am incredibly grateful for the memories that I do have with my dad. I can't wait to run to him and give him the biggest hug ever in Heaven though.