James Van Der Beek’s daughter Emilia, 9, remembered the late Dawson’s Creek actor in a sweet video on what would have been his 49th birthday.
Emilia, whom James shared with wife Kimberly, shared “tips or anything that helps you getting through” the death of a loved one in a video posted by Kimberly on Instagram on Sunday, March 8.
“The number one thing for somebody’s passing is to talk to them and let your emotions out,” Emilia said in the video. “If you miss them, you can cry, you can talk to them … I talk to my dad every day, and 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,’ and I just tell him about my day, how I’m feeling, and I tell my family how I’m feeling.”
“I know he can hear me, but I can’t hear him. … You just have to feel in your heart they’re watching over you; they are part of your body and in a good place,” she added. “I know that my dad is in a good place. He’s not in pain anymore.”
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Emilia also shared how she is holding on to her father’s memory with a piece of his wardrobe.
“Something that I have done with my dad’s passing is I stole his hat,” she said. “Steal anything of theirs and just keep it. My dad’s hat smells like him and I love it so much.”
“I praise my dad,” Emilia concluded in her video. “I know that he was a good man. A lot of people loved him, and people prayed for him, and he was loved by many, many hearts and many, many people.”
“Emilia asked me if she could make a video to post today, walked outside and came back with this,” Kimberly captioned her Instagram post.
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“James… We will celebrate March 8th every day for the rest of our lives,” the actor’s widow added.
As well as Emilia, Kimberly and James shared daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12, and Gwendolyn, 7, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, 4.
James died on February 11 after battling stage III colorectal cancer.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” said a statement posted via his Instagram account at the time. “There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
