I wake up to my third Christmas morning without my father, who fought esophageal cancer until he decided, on his own terms, that he was done.
The entire family gathered in Ocean Pines to be with him in late December 2018, the only time we've done that. He didn't say much as we exchanged gifts. He just sat in his recliner, watching our faces, taking it all in. We knew why.
Three weeks later, he was gone.
We still talk, and sometimes the exchanges feel like they're coming from one of my...
