Diary of a Sailor

Some people you live with for years and go on to have thought you had known them all your life, yet you never knew who they really were. Yes, they were your mom and dad. Dad was like that, a very quiet but an intelligent man. He was a great provider for his family. Mom was more open in her puzzle pieces of life. I am still trying to put together those pieces to understand and see the big picture of two people whom I called my parents.
With the plethora of information and documentation I found after my dad''s death in his war cedar chest, I now know who he was and maybe why he was such a quiet man. Knowing this information before his death might have brought us closer together. As the saying goes, you often find out more about a person after they have died. Why is that?