--- title: "Lessons Learned from Missing Dad: Year 3 Edition – Dr. Rowena Briones Winkler" description: "Today is October 7th. Three years ago, I was getting ready to teach a social media class at my first \"real job\" post-graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University when my sister called. It was 3:30 PM. I immediately sensed something was wrong. Unfortunately I was right. My wonderful, funny, patient, and kind father had passed…" image: https://www.rowenawinkler.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/img_2357-4.jpg --- [![Rowena Winkler logo](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/hs-fs/hubfs/New-Project-4.png?width=937&height=618&name=New-Project-4.png "Rowena Winkler logo")](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/) Open main menu Close main menu - [Home](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/) - About Open the submenu - [Meet Rowena](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/about-rowena) - [Press](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/press) - [Partnerships](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/partnerships) - [Merch](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/merch) - Services Open the submenu - [Career Coaching](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/career-coaching) - [Astrology](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/astrology) - [Coaching Bundles](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/coaching-bundles) - Community Open the submenu - [Masterclasses](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/masterclasses) - [Free Resources](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/resources) - [Blog](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog) Open the submenu - [Letters from My Postpartum Psychosis](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/letters-from-my-postpartum-psychosis) [spoken word](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/tag/spoken-word) [family](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/tag/family) [loss](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/tag/loss) # Lessons Learned from Missing Dad: Year 3 Edition [Dr. Rowena Briones Winkler](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/author/dr-rowena-briones-winkler) ### Today is October 7th. Three years ago, I was getting ready to teach a social media class at my first “real job” post-graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University when my sister called. It was 3:30 PM. I immediately sensed something was wrong. Unfortunately I was right. *My wonderful, funny, patient, and kind father had passed away after a hard fight against esophageal cancer.* #### He was only 66. And now here we are, three years later, and I’m thinking: *damn, time flies by so fast.* ### *LIFE flies by so fast. * ![7458_727860884345_529201304_n](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/7458_727860884345_529201304_n.jpg?width=420&height=388&name=7458_727860884345_529201304_n.jpg) ## **So now I have a question.** *Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just felt…I dunno, off?* Yeah, well I was having one of those weeks, and I finally realized it’s because we were approaching today. The day I would never get see my dad laugh, or sing karaoke, or play poker for hours on Facebook ever again. ### **…and it totally, absolutely, positively…** ## sucks. like, really damn hard. So what do I do? Well as per usual whenever I feel sad, I sing.  In addition, I suppose due mostly in part by my recent [Hamilton/Lin Manuel-Miranda](http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com/)inspiration, I wrote a spoken word piece about my dad’s passing as well: ### **…it still ain’t over yet…** Lastly, as a final homage to my dad, my hubs and I made corned beef with potatoes, onion, and white rice, a common Bob Briones food staple and my personal version of comfort food: ![img_2357](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/img_2357-1.jpg?width=264&height=352&name=img_2357-1.jpg) I am very proud to say that despite my fumbling a bit to figure out how to get this simple meal all together, it tasted exactly how I remember it, and Derek even thought it was yummy. ## So it ended up being an ok day after all. So there you go. I taught, I graded, I did a bit of research…and then I pulled together a song, a poem, and some food. I think dad would have been pleased. ### Leave a Comment ## Related Articles [![](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/img_9249_hd_original-1.jpg)](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/2016/03/16/my-30th-birthday-gifts-to-you) [spoken word](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/tag/spoken-word) [birthday](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/tag/birthday) ### [My 30th Birthday Gifts To You](https://www.rowenawinkler.com/blog/2016/03/16/my-30th-birthday-gifts-to-you) ### **It is now 12:30 a.m. on March 16th.** ### **30 years ago I was born at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philly.** ### **Today is my birthday.** I’ve decided to do something a little... 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