Message to my father

I can write for hours, but none of that could be enough to describe the love I have for you.

I feel the tears on my cheeks as I write…

It is this special time of the year, the day when time is almost frozen and my entire world goes around the same moment.

The day when faces are unidentifiable and nothing seem to attract my interest, besides the memory of you. Everything is vague and memories start flooding my mind.

I try to put a courageous look on my face and keep my head high, as you taught me. But this is just a mask, because my heart keeps feeling the pain and something depletes inside me.

Everyone says that it will be easier, it will be better, but all I know is that my pain is the same as five years ago.

Although today is the day when you passed away, and an entire nation is reminded of you on this date, you’re always in my mind and no day goes by without you in my thoughts.

I am not religious, but I believe in you. I believe that from where you are, you still take care of us, wherever that place might be. I believe that you will always be an angel by my side.

I would like to thank you for everything I have and everything I am. I would love to thank you for giving me life. I am who I am thanks to you. The good and the bad.

Thank you for my beautiful family. You gave me two good friends and a brother, and in him I see you. I want to thank you for teaching me to live my life with all my strength.

Through you I learned to be polite and sensible, wise in actions and also strict and strong when needed.

Being who you were, you taught me to live every moment as it was the last one. You taught me what following your dreams means.

You inspired me to be myself. There are many things for which I am grateful to you, but I believe that I can show what you taught me by following your steps and by making a name for myself.

While we are all suffering for you today, your heritage still lives. Millions of Albanians throughout the world follow Top Channel every day, for everything they might need: getting updated on the latest news, seeing who won the 100 millions on Tuesday night… this screen has always something new.

I hope that when any of us watches Top Channel, listens to Top Albania Radio and zaps through the DigitAlb channels, or when reads this newspaper on Thursday, reminds the man that created all of this.

The man whom no only me, but all Albanians have something to be grateful to.

As Benjamin Franklin once wrote: “If you are not forgotten right after you are dead and rotten, you either wrote things worth reading, or you did things worth writing about”.

You were the latter, and I am the proudest girl for having a father like you. My only hope is that you will be proud of me too, from wherever you are.

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