They say time heals, but grief doesn’t follow rules. It’s been 13 years since I lost my father and not a day goes by that I don’t miss him. But when I stepped into his house for the first time since his death, I found something in the attic… something that brought me to my knees in tears.

Grief doesn’t fade. It burrows deep, settling into the quiet spaces of your life, waiting to remind you of what you’ve lost. It’s been 13 years since my father, Patrick, passed away, and not a day goes by that I don’t miss him.

He wasn’t just my dad — he was my whole world. After Mom abandoned me at birth, he was my only parent, my fierce protector, and my home. And when he died, my life became a haunting void I never truly learned to fill.I never went back to his house after his death. I couldn’t. The moment I stepped inside after the funeral, the silence crushed me.

Every room was a painful echo of his laughter, his warmth, and the way he’d hum while making coffee. Staying was impossible. So, I left.