Dear 2025 Angel,
2024 began with Dad’s death, which immobilized me. I moved into my robe and jammies and didn’t come out for a long time. It’s hard to say goodbye to a part of yourself. But as I now turn to the future instead of the past and Dad is still uppermost in my thoughts, I find myself asking, “What would Dad want for me?”
The number one thing he would want for me is to be happy and to enjoy the company of the people I love. I think he’d want that for me—and all the people he loved—above anything else. So I will prioritize that in 2024: connection, friendship, kindness. I will prioritize and hold sacred the time necessary to be with my family and friends.
The second thing I think he would want is for me to notice and cherish my time in this glorious world. His time was cut short; he didn’t get to do all the things he wanted to do. We’re lucky to be here because here is a beautiful and interesting and enjoyable place. So I want to appreciate and be grateful for each moment I have in this existence, to be present in my body and in my awareness.
Third, I think he would—and will—simply be my cheerleader as I make my choices and take actions. I don’t think he would want me to do any one thing in particular. I think, rather, he would wish for me an attitude of awareness as I work and play, to not let the time or the activity slip by unnoticed or uncelebrated.
And, finally, I truly believe he would wish for me to get healthy. Type 2 diabetes, a largely preventable disease, took his life, slowly and painfully, before he was ready to go. He had plans that were all cut short due to poor health. A lot of us—his loved ones—still have time to turn the train around and not die like he did, to honor his life by making better choices in our lives, to right a wrong by making the choices he didn’t make.
So, 2025 Angel, that is what I shall do in 2024 as a way to honor Dad, a way to celebrate him and continue to love him, and a way to keep him alive in my heart and in my intentions and in my actions.
So, to recap:
- Prioritize and hold sacred the time necessary to be with family and friends.
- Notice and cherish my time. Don’t let it drift by unnoticed. Be present. (Meditation will help with this.)
- Do the things I want to do, that I love to do, and that I am excited to do. Dad will always be there, cheering me on. And stay present while I’m working, so I truly appreciate and enjoy my work.
- Get healthy. Dad doesn’t want his children—or any of his loved ones—to die like he did. Nutrition and exercise are my new friends.
Good luck, 2024 Angel! And I’ll see you soon, 2025 Angel.
Love from 2024 Angel
P.S., I love you, Dad. Even in death, you’re still helping me navigate my life and this world.