Missing you

I was only eight years old
When mom told me had you died.
I didn't fully know what it meant.
I felt numb, but I still cried.

I didn't know how big a hole
your passing would leave.
I didn't understand how much loneliness
I was about to receive.

As the years have gone by,
I've forgotten a few things,
Like the sound of your voice,
And how your laughter used to ring.

I can't remember exactly what
It was like when you held me,
But I do remember it left me with
A feeling of warmth and security.

My first birthday spent without you
Was hardest after you where gone.
That first Christmas just wasn't the same,
And it remains so as the years go on.

There have been thousands of times
When I've wished you were still here,
To celebrate all of my joys,
And help me calm my fear.

I've spent more of my life without you
Than with you, I'm sad to say.
But I want you to know I still love you,
And I think about you every day.