I am male but it doesn't really matter. Thank you for the kind words. I do have some friends nearby but everyone is busy with their lives, and luckily I have a girlfriend that has been incredibly supportive. She is extremely smart and takes masters level courses in undergrad but has severe anxiety. We can help each…

Asking the daughter first? Classy move. It takes a real man to be able to step up and be a father to someone else's child, and that right there is some excellent step-parenting.

No pressure on the girlfriend. None at all.

no, they're probably drunk.

Thank you.

:( My mom died of cancer November 6, 2010. She was sick for about 4 years, the last 3 seriously with a colostomy and urostomy, and she couldn't even eat for the last year - we had to hook her up to a machine every single night. What made this even worse was the fact that I was 16 when she told me she had cancer -…

I'm very sorry for your loss, Phil, and I'm glad you've found a way to cope and to grieve that helps you move on in life.

"People say you get over it."

Just very moved by this post and the comments. I absolutely agree that there is no right way to grieve. Whatever it takes to get through it is what I say.

The death stare from that woman is great.

I know exactly what you mean man. And it sucks that it's a lesson that all humans have to learn. Even when you do love your parents and you cherish them you'll still think that you should've done more for them.

Right there with you man, Lost my dad last year in May. Can't tell you how many times I've picked up the phone to call him to ask him a question before realizing it.

I'm sorry for your loss, it's never easy. I worry about my father now, he has COPD, is still a chronic smoker, and just hit 70 this year. I've noticed a big change in the past few years. I'm fortunate he is still alive, but I worry constantly. I did lose my girlfriend of 15 years about three years ago though and it…

My dad passed on August 26, in the early afternoon. I was in the room when it happened, even though I didn't want to be. Watching somebody you care about die fucking sucks. Seeing their dead body lying there afterward sucks even more.

I'm deeply sorry for your loss. My daughter died last year in a car accident. She was the passenger. She was 19, beautiful, and had many plans for her life. When she died, video games (Call of Duty has always been my escape), movies, TV show, even reading helped me say goodbye. It is a constant struggle every day,…

Hugs for everyone here that has lost someone. May the lord bring them peace.

I'm there with you man. My mother passed from breast cancer last year on December 22nd. So, naturally that makes this holiday season a bit bizarre, as it's my first year without her around for the holidays. To top it off, Dec. 24th is my birthday, so everything is pretty, I don't want to say miserable, but hell, I…

thank you for sharing this. My father-in-law has pancreatic cancer and we don't know how long he has-but the doctors aren't promising anything more than a month or two at a time. It's one of those cancers that people don't really survive.

The third anniversary of my father's death is approaching on December 21, 2014. After a long battle with substance dependence and sobriety, he concluded his fight at the age of 59. The phone call from his roommate still feels like a dream and his death derailed me for years. I had thought I had "gotten over it"…