The last few days my mind has entertained thoughts of my biological father, Rick Rogers. It has been 15 years since the day our lives were changed instantly by the knock of a police officer at our front door in Cicero, Indiana, who informed us of my dad's fatal car accident. At first, I sat looking out the front window, waiting for him to come home from work. Soon, our family did not dwell on who was coming home, but rather the home in Heaven where we are going. We grew closer and were content with our happy little family.

It has gotten to the point where I do not think of him daily, which, in a way, makes me sad. Should I not remember him every day? Instead, at times, I feel as though the family I now have, and the life we live, has always been this way. Then there are the times when something jogs my memory of him and thoughts invade my mind of what life would have been like if he had lived.

Recently, those memories were touched with a call from my grandparents, his parents. They kept a vehicle that belonged to my father years ago, and fixed it up almost as good as new. They graciously offered it to my brother, Adam, and me. One side of me would like to have something of his near. Yet, I do not want the reminder—the sadness—to envelope me every time I get in it. When talking about this dilemma with my mom, she told me that his car is not what is left in this world of him. The car was simply his material possession. Nothing more. The real part of him that is left is my brother and me. We are his legacy, the remnants of his life here.

That made me think, "Wow! I have to carry on for him." I want to live a life that he would be proud of, because in a way I am living the rest of his life by showing Christ's love like he did. It's the same awesome responsibility for us as Christians. We are what is left of Jesus on this earth. We are to live the rest of His legacy through our example and actions to others.

I asked Jesus to be my earthly Father soon after my dad died, and felt sure He was taking care of us. I would have loved to grow up with my father alive, but God had another plan. He sent us a wonderful new family. I have a dad again, and our bond is extra special. It is as though we have a biological father-daughter relationship. We also gained an awesome older brother and sister. They make our lives complete and full. We've been restored. And that restoration will come full circle when I have the ultimate privilege of introducing my two extraordinary earthly fathers to each other in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

Caressa Rogers is 19. She lives in Calhoun, Georgia, and attends Southern Adventist University where she is majoring in Elementary Education. Caressa will receive a $100 scholarship since her article was selected for publication.