I'm the same age my father was when he died. Getting older has been more emotional than I expected.

The author (middle) lost her father when he was 51, and she was 24. Courtesy of Christina Daves My father died when he was 51, and I was 24. When I turned 51, the grief of my father's death hit me all over again. I now often think about the years my father didn't get to live, so I take nothing for granted. The year I turned 51, I wasn't thinking about getting older. I was thinking about my dad. Fifty-one was the last birthday he ever celebrated, and as my own birthday got closer, I couldn't…