How Loss Deepens Our Understanding of Connection
No one ever wants to say goodbye. It’s one of life’s most painful certainties—the moment when love meets loss, and the heart learns just how deeply it can ache. In My Dad (Mr. P): The Poet and He Didn’t Know It by Steve Piranio, this truth unfolds tenderly and honestly. Through his poems, Steve invites readers into the sacred space between holding on and letting go, capturing both the raw ache of absence and the quiet gratitude of having loved so deeply that farewell becomes almost unbearable.
Goodbyes are difficult because they strip us of control. They confront us with time’s unstoppable passage, reminding us that even the most cherished moments are fleeting. Steve’s reflections reveal how this realization hit him with force when his father passed—a truth no one can prepare for. Yet in the midst of sorrow, he began to see that love’s depth is measured not just by joy, but also by the pain of parting. The sharper the goodbye, the greater the love that came before it.
What makes this lesson so transformative is the clarity it brings. Grief has a way of stripping life to its essence. Suddenly, small annoyances, material possessions, and daily distractions lose their power. In their place emerges a renewed appreciation for what truly matters—family, presence, connection. Steve’s writing reflects this shift beautifully. In saying goodbye to his father, he also learned to say “I love you” more freely, to treasure his siblings more deeply, and to be fully present for his own children and grandchildren.
But goodbye, as Steve reminds us, doesn’t always mean the end. It often transforms love rather than extinguishes it. Through his poetry, he continues the conversation his father began—carrying forward the lessons, humor, and wisdom that shaped him. Writing became not just an outlet, but a bridge—a way to hold on while learning to live without. In every word, his father’s voice echoes softly, proving that influence and affection can transcend even the final farewell.
This is one of love’s hardest truths: to say goodbye is also to say, “You mattered.” The pain of parting becomes a sacred tribute to the bond that existed. Steve’s journey reminds readers that grief is not a weakness but a reflection of strength—the strength it takes to love without guarantee, to invest your heart knowing one day it will break.
Through My Dad (Mr. P): The Poet and He Didn’t Know It, Steve gently shows that goodbyes, though painful, are part of love’s greater story. They invite us to honor the past, cherish the present, and live more fully in gratitude for every connection that remains.
Because the pain of goodbye is the price of having loved deeply—and the presence of that pain is proof that love endures, even beyond the final farewell.
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