Eulogy for my father: Our father, Aleksander Grochowski passed away peacefully in his home on January 12th. He leaves behind his three children, my sister, Ewelina, my brother Greg and myself as well as his only granddaughter, Maja. He also leaves behind many family members in the U.S. and Poland as well as friends who cared for him throughout his life. Iâve missed my father for most of my life because he struggled with addiction for many years. The absence of love and the experience of trauma take shape in many forms and for my father it took shape in the form of an alcohol addiction. Because of the trauma that he experienced I think my father locked his heart in a vault and threw away the key because the pain was too unbearable to handle. I wish that there was a way that my siblings and everyone who cared for him could have taken his pain away, but we couldnât because he kept it locked it up in his vault. Addiction and recovery are extremely difficult because you fight for your life, every single day. Whatâs important for me to remember is that my father never gave up and that ultimately, he was not alone in his fight. There were so many people that showed my father that he was worthy of love. I want to thank everyone that showed my father kindness through their acts of love: My mother, Elzbieta for providing him with food when she saw him around New Britain. My brother, Greg for providing him with shelter and checking in on him. My sister, Ewelina for cleaning his home and going grocery shopping for him. The Janowiec family providing him with love and support over the years. Carlo for helping him with AA and rehab. My dadâs neighbor, Tyler for checking in on him. Iâm sure there are others that I donât know about, thank you! All your acts of kindness were the key that unlocked his vault and allowed his heart to be filled with hope. I know that he fought as hard as he could until the very end. We will never know his full story, but the biggest part of his story was his children, and the most beautiful parts of his being will live on through us. **continued in the comments** https://www.instagram.com/p/CY-DAISsX-n/?utm_medium=tumblr