Silver lining. I've never been a fan of that term. It reminds me of a consolation prize that no one really wants. But three years ago, I began to accept and appreciate that term in a whole new way.

In December 2011, my dad was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma. The ugly disease had resurfaced in his lungs after lying dormant and undetectable since the treatment of a spot on his back in 2001. The diagnosis stopped our family in...