Johhny,
Well, there's part of the reason you have such a positive impact on others. "When your heart is pierced, it lets a lot of love pour forth." --a midwife told me that in regard to a mother losing a child. You aren't your father, and you have a lot in there that he obviously missed, and you are finding outlets for it now and it's being accepted by the people you touch, which is now rather world-wide I believe...

Maybe your "down" time now is giving you opportunity to see new horizons...
Shirley