For those of you that were unaware of the cause of my hiatus from this page, it was due to the untimely and incredibly unexpected death of my dad, John.
To those of you that did not have the privilege (and that is no overstatement…it truly was a privilege) of meeting him…I’m very sorry, because you really missed out. To those of you that did, I know you’re still dealing with the loss of this great man.
My dad was definitely one of a kind. He was the type of guy that could wake up in the morning, have an early breakfast with a client, drive an hour to shoot a round of golf with the president of one of the company’s he represented, come home to play with his only granddaughter, order dinner for an entire house full of people, watch a Brewer game with everyone, tell a few stories and then close the night with a well-performed, karaoke version of “My Way”…smiling all the while.
In short, he could, and did, do it all.
He was someone that everyone sought out, whether it was to talk about which car to buy, if a business decision was wise or if the Brewers truly had a shot at making the playoffs. Everyone knew that no matter what the question, no matter what was going on in his life, my dad would stop, listen and give you his honest opinion.
Not only was he generous with his time, he was generous with everything. Never been to a Packer game? He’d give you his tickets. Didn’t have enough for lunch? It was on him anyway. Ran out of golf balls? Here are some Titleists. That was him, always giving, never asking.
He was that way my whole life. From the countless rounds of miniature golf and the hundreds of Brewers, Bucks and Packer games we attended to the times he studied with me and the career advice he offered, he always made sure I was cared for and that my best interests were considered. And really, what more could you ask out of a parent?
Over the past month and a half, I’ve had an incredibly tough time dealing with the loss of this remarkable man. The overwhelming feelings of anger and confusion have given way to a sadness and pain that I cannot even begin to express…feelings I pray none of you have to endure. Man, it really is amazing how something can hurt so badly…and I know that this is only beginning of that pain.
I’ve essentially kept my private life out of this blog, but I simply can’t in this case as my dad not only shaped who I am as a person, but also where I stand politically. My dad was a true conservative and, while we didn’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on every topic, I knew that he could always be counted on for a spirited discussion or in-depth debate. These discussions and debates throughout the better part of my 28 years on Earth with him are the reasons you’ve been reading my opinions over the past 11 months.
Without him, there would be no blog.
And that’s been the case since he’s passed, there’s been no blog. I have found it harder and harder to devote any free moment to thinking about anything other than him, hence no posts since the day before he died.
But I know how much he enjoyed reading these pages and how much he looked forward to a new post, so, in honor of him, I will continue writing. Next week, the blog will pick back up from where I left off in August. I just wanted to tell you all a little about my dad.
Thanks for reading and for your support, as always, it means more than you’ll ever know.
Until next time, take care and be well.
-John
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