Here's to Family...

First, I want to thank everyone who expressed their condolences for my family during this holiday season and the absence of my grandmother. Times like this are never easy, no matter how well prepared we might feel we are for the inevitable. But when you can share the burden of sadness with those that you love…well, that’s what life is all about. Knowing that you aren’t alone regardless how you feel. Realizing that friends are still there for you. It’s amazing. And I thank each and every one of you. You helped me and my family. These moments are hard, but with each expression of love and friendship I know that things will be okay. Because in the end, we all want to be surrounded by those who love you no matter what. That’s what family is all about. Thank you all.

Along those same lines, I wanted to share a present with everyone. On Christmas day, my dad opened a letter from a long lost cousin. Inside was probably the single most beautiful gift someone could give another human---the gift of remembrance from times forgotten. There, inside this small letter, were photos after photos of my dad’s father, my pappap, as a young man. My dad had never seen these and they brought back a flood of memories about a man who died when my dad was young. They are simply beautiful. Just like the Dream motorcycle, they lit my dad up with story after story, retelling the legend of a hard-working man from Pennsylvania who inspired my dad to become the wonderful husband and father he is today.

It was a gift of immense value and it showed the value of a simple image taken casually and how much it means to the generations that follow. The photographer who took those was simply capturing the moment. And by doing so, allowed my dad years later to remember and love all over again. So simple, so beautiful. A collection of moments shared with loved ones---that’s exactly what life is. And after those we’ve loved have passed on, those simple images remind us that a life of love and connection was there right in front of our eyes. The trick is to realize all this while those people are still around. To express our thankfullness for having them in our lives, if it’s only for a brief moment. Because you never know when it’ll be too late.

Love fast, love completely. Tell those that mean the most to you how you feel. No regrets, especially when you lead with your heart. Here’s to a man that I never knew---Thank you for creating the man that I call my dad. You’d be proud, pappap. He’s all I could ask for. Thank you.