My dad passed away just before Christmas. He had been battling through different illnesses and conditions that slowly robbed him of his memories, awareness, and mobility. For the last two years, he was also plagued with debilitating pain that was never able to find relief from. In death, he was finally granted peace.

For the rest of us, we are left to grapple with the loss, knowing that his absence will always be felt. Knowing he's no longer in pain is a small comfort but not having him with us is a wound that will never heal completely.

I had hoped to see him before he passed, to read him the chapter in "My Life's Playlist" that is about an early memory I have of him. He passed before I arrived.

I've been debating with myself whether or not to pull "My Life's Playlist" down. In the wake of my dad's passing, it feels too personal and, in parts, even a bit silly. Then I remember why I started writing those words in the first place - I wanted to preserve and share the memories and stories that are triggered by songs.

A few hours before he passed, my dad asked my sister to play Merle Haggard's "The Way I Am" for him.

He knew his time was close and I believe he wanted to tell her, through song, that he would soon be in the place he had been daydreaming about as he suffered through the painful grind of each day.

My dad wasn't the most eloquent of men, but he understood the meaning of words. He let the song say what he couldn't. And that's what he did his entire life, used songs to tell us how he felt. I didn't put all of that together until my sister told me that he had asked her to play that song for him.

The book will remain available for anyone interested in reading it. It is very personal, but that's the point of writing and sharing, isn't it?