Things Just Got Personal
Recently we lost my father to Covid-19. He fought it hard for a week but just had too many other contributing medical conditions to win the battle. It was surreal to sit outside his nursing home window with my mom, brother and family watching him slowly get sicker.
I am blessed that our family has always been tight-knit and that my mom got to be close by when the end came. In his honor, here are four things my dad modeled for me that have helped me tremendously.
Strong Work Ethic. He grew up with a single mom and seven brothers and sisters. Often, they were not sure where their next meals would come from. My dad and his siblings always encouraged me to work hard and modeled that in their lives.
Enjoy Life. He loved to joke and have fun, primarily by interacting with others. Often, those who grow up with less find it easier to gain pleasure in little things. I was reminded of this two years ago on a service trip to Cuba with one of my daughters.
A Regular Practice of Service. My dad loved his family and always put us ahead of his own needs. He went above and beyond to do things for others - serving at Church, sharing food from his garden, visiting sick friends, etc.
A Belief in a Higher Calling. Dad instilled a sense of higher purpose in us and modeled that for almost 86 years. I have tried to pull from that to connect with organizations that I have worked with over the years.
We are all affected by this ongoing pandemic and surrounded by a lot of uncertainty as to how things will progress from here. These traits can serve us all well as we move forward and figure this out together. Here are three things I am going to personally do over the next few weeks.
Add additional blocks of time to my schedule to give free consults to executives preparing for a gradual easing of our social distancing rules.
Connect weekly with old friends I have not talked to in a long time to let them know how much their friendship has meant to me.
Continue my practice of starting every day spending time in my gratitude journal.