01/09/2026
Four years ago, we lost Ralph.
Today, I’m thinking about him as a father.
Ralph’s dad passed away when he was born. He grew up without ever knowing him. Because of that, Ralph was intentional in a way I didn’t fully understand until later. He always told me he wanted to be the kind of dad he would have loved to have.
And he was.
He was present.
Not perfect. Not flashy. Just there.
He showed up. He listened. He played. He corrected. He laughed. He loved deeply. Our kids don’t just know of their dad. They remember him. They remember his voice, his jokes, his hugs, his way of being fully in the room.
That matters more than we realize while we’re in it.
Today I honor Ralph for the father he chose to be, despite the loss he carried from the very beginning. His presence shaped our children, and that legacy didn’t end four years ago. It lives on in them, every day.
We miss him every day.
