Don’t Miss It: A Challenge to Parents, Grandparents & Anyone Who Loves Deeply

Don’t Miss It: A Challenge to Parents, Grandparents, and Anyone Who Loves Deeply

Today marks 40 years since I lost my dad to a massive heart attack.
Forty. Years.

And while that number feels so big… the ache doesn’t feel any smaller.

What’s hitting me most today isn’t just the grief of losing him—it’s the weight of what I missed out on. What my life could have looked like if I’d had a father figure to keep pouring into me as I grew.

You see, I had a very close relationship with my dad. He was my best friend. I never once questioned whether he loved me—because he made sure I knew. He said it out loud. All the time. We were a hugging family, and I got plenty of those too. It wasn’t perfect, but it was full of love and intentionality.

And maybe that’s why I feel such urgency to share this…

Because if I could go back and re-live one of those simple, ordinary moments with him—I would. No questions asked.

But I can’t.

You still can.

A Heartfelt Challenge: Start Dating Your Kids

Parents, grandparents, people who love kids: please don’t wait for a "better time" to connect.

✨ Start dating your kids.

Yep—dating.
Intentional, one-on-one time where you shut out distractions and simply lean in.
Go for ice cream. Take a walk. Build LEGO castles. Sit at the table and color. Take them out for breakfast before school. Ask them questions and actually listen.

It’s not about spending money.
It’s about spending yourself—your presence, your attention, your love.

Dads, this one’s especially for you. (And ladies—share this with the men in your lives.)
Please—date your daughters. Teach them what to expect from a man by how you treat them. Set the tone for their worth. Be the safe space they crave.

Put the Phones Down. Seriously.

We’ve been working hard on this in our own home—especially around the dinner table.
No phones. No scrolling. No checking out.

Just presence.
Because the person across from you won’t always be there.

These moments we take for granted today?
They’ll become memories someday. Let’s make sure they’re the right kind of memories.

You Don’t Get Time Back.

That’s the hardest part.
You don’t get a second chance at the moment in front of you right now.

So…

• Hug your people.
• Say the words.
• Sit on the couch and hold hands even when it’s awkward.
• Ask God for help when you don’t know what to pray.
• Be the grown-up who pours in—not just the one who provides.

You have no idea what a difference it could make.

Because time is precious—and it can be taken away in the blink of an eye.

Don’t miss it.

❤️Dana