I wore a prom dress my father created from my late mother’s wedding gown, and for one perfect moment, it felt like she was there with me.

I didn’t realize then that he was making the most meaningful thing I would ever wear.

When I asked how he even knew how to sew, he shrugged it off. “YouTube… and your mom’s old sewing kit.”

That answer made me laugh—but it also made me nervous.

That was my dad, John. He could fix anything, stretch a meal into days, and find humor in almost everything. He’d been that way since my mom passed when I was five, and it became just the two of us.

Money was always tight, so I learned early not to ask for too much.

When prom season came, everyone was talking about expensive dresses, shoes, and big plans. I quietly told my dad I might borrow a dress instead.