Dad made his trip home today at 3:38pm today.

I wrote this yesterday as I sat by his side.

As I sit next to Dad while he is making his way home I reflect on the beauty and pain that exists in this process and the depth of connection that we share.  Dad was truly my Rock - a man that truly did life his way and touched many many people along the way.  His knack for connecting with people and his level of Magnetism drew so many so close to him.  As the Hospice Nurse commented “I have never seen anything like this - the amount of people that have come to see him, the visitors, the friends, the family - truly have never seen such a situation.  We have been so blessed to have this man as our leader, our caretaker and our hero - his way of life was so unique to all - his ability to express his emotions, to tell it like it is, to care for so many people and most importantly to live his life his way...  

As a child Dad took care of any and all problems that I encountered.  He was the Dad that made lunch for me every morning (packed full) and then drove me to school and then went to work and then handled a problem that I had with a friend and then cuddled me when I was in pain.  I was lucky that Dad showed me a tender, vulnerable side of him that I don’t think many people had the chance to witness.  He showed me his massive HEART often.  He showered me with his love and when you had a Dad who was so strong and passionate in how he approached life and everything in his way with literal dominance and then on the other hand would always have me lay on his lap, cuddle in his big arms and legs and I remember I could just feel the SIZE of his presence and it was absolutely massive - the man was just larger than life. 

I feel beyond lucky, grateful and blessed that he gave me such comfort, such care and such a sense of security that lived within me.  I carried that into my life and still do to this day.  As a child, I was very sensitive and shall we say very unique - and Dad was so accepting of me, of my uniqueness, of my differences.  He was incredibly accepting of me, of our differences and showed me such beauty in accepting others for who they are in this world.  He would always say to me "remember, the world is made up of very unique and different people and that’s what creates such beauty here".  Dad was someone who accepted you for who you were, no matter your race, religion, creed or anything else.  I actually think he appreciated the differences in all of us - I think the differences in people were a beauty to him.  He was such a unique man, he grew up on the “other side of the tracks” in Albany, NY and had to be a pretty tough kid growing up which he brought to all of his endeavors.  Dad had a wit and sense of humor unlike many, he would often crack a joke or a one liner our entire life:  “Dad, do you know where my shoes are?” “No, but if they were up your ass you’d know it”.  “Hey Brent - does your face hurt? - No, why?  Because it's killing me :)”. And on and on and on….

Dad was one of the most creative people I knew and is a quality of his that most didn’t know about.  Dad always had a dream of owning a hardware store.  His true love was fixing things, it was measuring, building and creating.  He took these skills into his business life and applied that level of creativity to his work life and in many ways this creativity showed itself in relationships and connections. It was Dad’s true skill - he was a connector on the deepest level - and taught me how to do the same.

I am blessed that I got him as my Dad and I am going to miss him everyday, but Dad I will carry your legacy on every day of my life.  I love you, I miss you and I thank you.

Thank You all for being a part of this journey with us, we know we will remain deeply connected to all of you and please raise a glass tonight for Daddy - all he would want is to celebrate his beautiful life.

Love,
B