A Memoir of Courage: A Father's Presence.........Dear Daddy

By Victoria Creer

A fathers presence in the lives of his children is invaluable and can have a lasting impact. Victoria, the youngest and only girl of two children was deeply connected to her father, leading some to describe their bond as an exemplar of a healthy father-daughter relationship. When her father received a terminal cancer diagnosis, Victoria was devastated, and left traumatized by his subsequent death. In this memoir, Victoria brings readers along as she journeys through the searing pain of loss, and feelings of betrayal, anger, and defeat. This is a story of her courage and triumph in the wake of tragedy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512758221

Victoria Creer

Victoria is a mom, wife, and nurse from Cleveland, Ohio, where she resides with her family. She’s a woman who believes in turning her pain into purpose. Victoria is a passionate writer with a lifetime of stories to tell.

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Copyright © 2016 Victoria Creer.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-5823-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5822-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016915951

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/21/2016

Contents

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1 Safe in His Arms

Chapter 2 Be Courageous!

Chapter 3 The Process

Chapter 4 Undeniable Reality

Chapter 5 My Diary

Chapter 6 Gone but Never Forgotten

Chapter 7 The Beauty in Death

Chapter 8 Dear Daddy

Chapter 9 In Loving Memory

Dedication

Just One of Those Things

I wrote this book in loving memory of a great man—my father, Larry E. Jones. He was a man whom I loved and cherished dearly. He was the greatest father, role model, and friend a daughter could ever have. I am forever grateful to God for the thirty-seven wonderful years we had together.

My father and mother divorced while she was pregnant with me. He later moved to another city. Then he eventually relocated to another state. Despite the divorce and its challenges, he continued to be a father to his children. He made a conscious decision to defy the odds and be the best father he could possibly be.

We never lived together in the same home. That challenge, however, never once got in the way of my dad’s mission to be a dependable, loving presence in his children’s lives.

When he found out that he had cancer, he never expressed thoughts of defeat even if that was what he was feeling.

He remained optimistic until the end of his battle; he never characterized cancer as the end of his life.

Instead he called it just one of those things that sometimes happen.

Introduction

My writing began as a therapeutic process to assist me in grieving the loss of my father. My dad found out he had lung cancer in July of 2011 and died within a month. I was taking classes to become a nursing assistant when I received a call from my dad about the life-changing news of his diagnosis. My dad and I were extremely close. He had been at home in another state, slowly but surely dying every day, for the past few months prior to that call from his doctor. He had lost up to seventy pounds within those few months. I lived in another state and was never notified of the changes in his physical condition until he mentioned that large, rapid weight loss. Why hadn’t I or any of his other family members in Cleveland been notified? Perhaps by the one that saw him daily and witnessed him losing weight.

I kept a journal of my feelings as I walked through his illness and death with my dad. After his death, I realized that my writing project would be a memoir that I would write for my healing. I would write my book as a gift to my children and extended family; it would provide strength for others who also experience loss so great that it shakes their very foundations.

I want this memoir to raise awareness of men who are and have been actively supportive in the lives of their children. I applaud, honor, and esteem you greatly, as I revere my dad. My memoir is also for the fathers who have not been active in the lives of their children—those fathers who, perhaps, became discouraged. I encourage you to repent before God and be restored to your rightful places in the lives of your children.

Last but certainly not least, I write to raise awareness for men battling cancer and to support their families. Cancer is a disease that my father fought with courage, supported by God, myself, and others in his family. As his daughter, I have decided to be just as courageous as my father by facing my fears. I will not be defeated; I will be healed through telling my story.

Chapter 1

Safe in His Arms

As of December 2010, I habitually sought the Lord for words of encouragement for the upcoming year. The Lord gave me two words: Be courageous. I immediately grew concerned—hearing from the Lord and interpreting his words could be a struggle. My cousin and I were invited to teach a class at a church conference. I shared with her what the Lord had said to me. Of course I was extremely bothered by those words. I expressed my concerns to her. She just shook her head and laughed. We both knew that God was preparing me for something. But what might that be?

My thought was, Why would God tell me to be courageous? Furthermore, if he felt the need to give me that message, then the upcoming challenge must be major. Suspense bothered me for weeks. For