Meghan McCain posted a heartfelt Thanksgiving tribute to her father, John McCain

Meghan McCain with her father, Sen. John McCain, on the set of ABC’s <em>The View</em> on Oct. 23, 2017. (Photo by Heidi Gutman/ABC via Getty Images)
Meghan McCain with her father, Sen. John McCain, on the set of ABC’s The View on Oct. 23, 2017. (Photo by Heidi Gutman/ABC via Getty Images)

Meghan McCain is honoring her late father on what she says was his favorite holiday.

In an Instagram post Thursday morning, the co-host of The View remembered the late senator, who died in August. “Today is your favorite holiday,” McCain wrote. “Happy Thanksgiving Dad, wherever you are. I miss you terribly.”

The Instagram post includes a few photos of John McCain deep-frying a turkey, serving himself a plate of Thanksgiving dinner and relaxing with a newspaper. McCain ended the caption with words of encouragement for those “this holiday is hard for,” reminding her followers that they aren’t alone. This marks McCain’s first major holiday without her dad.

As People pointed out, McCain himself had also shared Thanksgiving photos in years past. Apparently, the war hero deep-fried a whopping seven turkeys last year — it sounds like Thanksgiving really was his favorite holiday.

McCain died Aug. 25 from brain cancer. A statement the family provided to the press at the time said his wife, Cindy, and other family members were with him at the end. In her own statement after his passing, McCain said that her dad showed her “how to live.”

She posted a separate tribute to her late father ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, sharing a photo of him cooking bacon and writing that the two of them used to spend mornings talking “about life and politics.”

“I want to tell you about everything and get your opinion on everything — just like we used to do. I don’t know how you go from talking to someone seven times a day to never,” McCain wrote in her Instagram post. “Thank you for always, always being on my team and for being my best friend. I love you forever.”

View this post on Instagram

84 days without you. You used to get up early in the morning and go get us all Starbucks in town in the Cottonwood Safeway and then come home and make eggs and bacon. You always had a giant venti cappuccino. We would eat on the porch and talk about life and politics while you read the newspaper and watched out for the hawks to fly by. I want to tell you about everything and get your opinion on everything – just like we used to do. I don’t know how you go from talking to someone seven times a day to never. It is still so indescribably surreal to go through the motions of life without sharing all of it with you – like some awful parallel universe I fell into. The pain of missing you and the grief that comes with it continues to be sharp and primal. Some waves are more intense than others but they come every day relentlessly. Stay with me. Stay with me. Stay with me. I fight on because that is what you told me I had to do and demanded of me. I know you made me so tough and strong with the intensity that only you could have purposefully – and for that I am the most grateful. You raised me “Don’t let the bastards grind you down” you always said. Thank you for always, always being on my team and for being my best friend. I love you forever. To anyone else in my place or those who are not – I wish we wouldn’t put time limits or rules on grief, we all do it differently in different ways. I shared my father on social media while he was here (and he loved it) and I choose to continue sharing him now that he is not. There’s always the unfollow button if recognizing the impact of death and loss makes anyone uncomfortable. ??

A post shared by Meghan McCain (@meghanmccain) on Nov 18, 2018 at 2:53pm PST

Fans responded two both of the Instagram posts with messages of support. “Sending love to the McCain family,” one commenter wrote.

McCain’s Thanksgiving message is a reminder that the holiday season can be difficult for some, especially those who have recently lost a family member. It’s a good time to be grateful for loved ones but also to remember those lost.

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