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This is a beautiful, devastating tribute.
In February, James Van Der Beek passed away after his battle with colorectal cancer.
On what would have, should have been his birthday, his family honored his memory.
His young daughter’s video will break your heart. It certainly broke ours.
He did not live to see his 49th birthday
Saturday, March 8, would have been the late actor’s 49th birthday.
Instead of the usual celebrations, his family and loved ones celebrates his life in a different way.
9-year-old Emilia Van Der Beek posted an emotional (and emotionally devastating) video.
“As you all probably know, my dad has passed away,” she said in a heart-wrenching Instagram video.
“But,” she continued, “I’m just going to tell you little tips or anything that helps you getting through anybody you love passing.”
Emilia offered her first piece of advice, which is “to talk to them and let your emotions out.”
She suggested: “If you miss them, you can cry. You can talk to them. I talk to my dad every day.”
Emilia described: “I start with a sentence, and I say, ‘Hi, Dad. I miss you and I love you so much, and I’ll never stop loving you.’”
The 9-year-old elaborated: “And I just tell him about my day, how I’m feeling and I tell my family how I’m doing. And I know he can hear me, but I can’t hear him.”
Emilia expressed that it is key to “feel them in your heart” because dead loved ones are “part of your body.”
‘It’s not a good strategy for someone’s passing’
During the video, Emilia expressed the belief that her late father is “in a good place” because he is “not in pain anymore; he’s in heaven.”
She correctly affirmed that it is normal and okay to experience the full spectrum of emotions, including happiness and sadness and even anger.
Emilia sagely added that you can’t blame yourself, saying: “It’s not a good strategy for someone’s passing.”
She pointed out: “Everybody has different emotions in their body, and they express it in different ways. Many, many different ways.”
Continuing, she instructed: “And don’t let anybody tell you that. Be like, ‘No, you don’t know how I feel.”
Emilia then opined that everything “happens for a reason.” This can be a polarizing take after a tragedy.
“Something my dad told me,” she shared, “was if this doesn’t work out the way he wanted it to and the way we wanted it to for him living, I still have to believe in miracles.”
Emilia also admitted that she “stole” her father’s hat after he died.
“My dad’s hat smells like him, and I love it so much,” she confessed.
‘I know that he was a good man’
Emilia also expressed her gratitude towards the thousands of people who had donated to the GoFundMe for her family.
“I know that he was a good man,” she affirmed. “A lot of people loved him.”
“And,” she highlighted, “people prayed for him, and he was loved by … many, many people.”
Emilia is displaying a tremendous amount of emotional maturity — for an adult, let alone for a 9-year-old.
She has had a long time to contemplate her father’s illness and loss, and clearly, her parents walked her through this possibility long before the end.
