Nine years ago was the first time I saw my dad cry and the first day I found out you even existed. My whole life I had no idea that the man I called my grandpa wasn't my biological grandpa, but to this day, I don't think I could ever give you the respect of calling you my grandpa. That's hard for me to accept. Nine years later and I don't remember what you look like. I met you one time and it was on your deathbed. I was surrounded by my mom, sister, and my dad-the one you walked out on. I still remember your funeral. I remember crying as the ceremony took place, but looking back, I don't really know why I cried. Maybe it was because I knew my dad was hurting at the loss of his father or maybe it was because I couldn't stand seeing all these people crying when the only emotion I felt towards you was anger. I was angry at anyone who hurt my family.

I would like to thank you for not sticking around because it gave me one pretty cool grandpa who taught me more about life, God, and politics than I'll ever need to know. I don't know what I would do without his constant jokes that I've heard a million times but never get tired of. So Steve, thank you for giving me the opportunity to have a man as amazing as my grandpa in my life.

You leaving also made my dad the man he is today and I couldn't ask for a better dad. He raised me to be strong and independent so that I wouldn't have to worry about men like you. he raised me so that I would be smart enough to know when someone like you comes along so I can run the hell away. My dad is the greatest man I know. Just because he has your name doesn't mean he's like you and for that, I'm thankful. I'm thankful because you could never be the coach, the father, the man, the husband, the brother, or the best friend that he is.

The last thing I would like to thank you for is the '53 Chevy truck you left for dad. That truck has given so many opportunities for me to spend time with my dad in a way that he didn't exactly experience. I will never forget how excited I was when I got to help him work on the '53 or how much it made me laugh when he said my Bondo skills were better than all the grown men he worked with at Romark.

So Steve, thank you for leaving and giving me an amazing family to care for. I'm glad that I got to meet you even though I didn't much care for you. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and dealing with this situation made me realize that it's not always a bad thing when someone leaves. Sometimes one person has to leave so that a new one can come along to make things better off and I believe that was the case with you leaving.