Biker4life,
Touching tribute to your dad. It's hard to reconnect after a cutoff, you obviously did the right thing.
Accepting your dad's good and not so good attributes is so important. My dad apologized late in life for the things he did wrong. When he said that, he also mentioned 'he did the best he knew how to'. I believe that, he lost his dad at age 11, other than his mom who had to provide for her 3 kids (in 1929), he had no role models. Our last conversation we both admitted to our character defects, and forgave each other.
I hope his journey remains peaceful. Your dad is correct: 'Life is good'
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