When my dad was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, I had already been on a journey of change for a couple of years-a journey that was far from complete. I was waking up to who I am. Old ideals were falling off, and this new concept of who I am was finding me.

But not as if I was discovering some new person. It's more like I was finding my way back home-if that makes sense.

A returning of sorts.

Walking with my dad through his cancer journey brought me face to face with what life really is all about-or what I think it's about-and it enriched the path of self-discovery I had already embarked upon.

I'm sure I'll continue to explore and learn more throughout my days. I'll have other experiences of mortality in the future. But there are certain truths and lessons that only find us when we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

I documented the journey through my words. It was as if the words needed me. They came to me. They landed on me.

These words you are about to read are how I grieved.