I'm starting to write my essay about my personal growth since the passing of my father but I am not sure how to go about it without it seeming too "sad"

It’s my editorial opinion that that mixing humor with sadness is the best way to open people up to your story. If you can think of a moment when your father made you laugh or you laughed together that can be a frame for his absence. It’s not just that you only have one life, it’s what that life meant to you and these things are best revealed with the lightest touch and in the smallest things.