Posted on by Nancy Gavilanes

Celebrating My Dear Dad, Year Anniversary Edition

How in the world does this month mark one year since my Dear Dad moved to Heaven? It’s only by God’s GRACE that I’ve gotten here … your prayers and friendship have also helped. Gracias!

I FINALLY found the song that’s been playing in the back of my mind as I see photos of my Dad and try to sum up all that he experienced … my Dear Dad was far from perfect, but he loved deeply and loved life and lived with GUSTO! He loved his family, his native Ecuador AND the U.S. where he was a proud citizen for all his adult life., he gave generously, fought for immigrants’ rights worldwide, met Popes at the Vatican, traveled Europe, helped earthquake victims in Ecuador, was an earthquake survivor as a child, climbed the ANDES Mountains and a few volcanoes for FUN, attended a World’s Fair, worked on the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing project, helped 9/11 families in the wake of the disaster, was interviewed by the press countless times over the years, hobknobbed with elected officials, wrote a book that’s in libraries in Ecuador and on and on and of course, loved God … I finally read the lyrics of this song and although I DOUBT my Dad ever heard this song, I can’t help but think this is one of the things he’d say:

“I, I did it all

I owned every second that this world could give

I saw so many places

The things that I did

Yeah, with every broken bone

I swear I lived” (“Lived” by OneRepublic)

Although, to my knowledge, he never broke a bone. LOL Still, I’ve obviously inherited some of his zest for travel and adventure … God must’ve wired us that way and we must’ve gotten some of it from our adventurous ancestors… lol .. my Dear Dad never ceased to surprise me … that’s why people who really KNOW me have probably heard me say what I write at the end of these tributes … YUP, THAT’S MY DAD 💖 Enjoy this short tribute video (above).

This month also marks the celebration of the famous parade in my Dad’s beloved Ecuador that’s like their Rose Parade. My Dear Dad LOVED going to this parade. It was started years ago to celebrate the town’s first harvest after a devastating earthquake. My Dad and one of my uncles were young survivors of that earthquake. It’s a fascinating story that I got to ask my Dad all about while interviewing him. I had the extreme pleasure of going to the parade with my Dad one year and actually walked in the parade. It was so much bigger and brighter than I had imagined. I’m still so grateful I got to enjoy it with him (even though I got a major sunburn that day! I forgot how close we were to the equator!) Here are a few pics of some of the beautiful memories I cherish and treasure. Knowing how to have a good time and being proud of his roots … That’s My Dad 💖

If you’d like to learn a little more about my Dear Dad and some of our travels, check out, By Faith: Adventures and Reflections on Walking With God Here and Abroad.

If you’d like to read some of my tributes and learn about some of what’s helped me through this grief journey, check out the blog post links below or Season 6 of the Abounding Faith for Today podcast. I pray you’ll be encouraged on your own grief journey.

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