My final gift was a gift I never thought I would every make. On Monday, I said good-bye to a former boss and mentor. He died suddenly last week. I couldn't believe the news when I heard it. It didn't make sense; it felt so random. He was only 50 years old. I spent last week thinking about the role this man played in my life as a young professional. I was only 18 went I went to work for him. So much of who I became and what I went on to do was because of the time I spent working for him. I worked for him for six years...a lifetime at that stage in your life! When I went to work for him, his wife was pregnant with their first son. On Monday, sitting in a packed church, their first born, now almost 18, stood to speak about his father. I cried. When I thought I was done, I cried again. I cried at the loss of a husband. I cried at the loss of a friend. And I cried at the loss of a father. Seeing his boys as young men made my heart ache for them and swell with pride for him at the same time.
When my mentor sold the company he had created (and I worked for), he sent me a paperweight. He had received the paperweight from a client for one of the company's first successful marketing efforts. It sat on his uncluttered, tidy desk for as long as I could remember. It was a treasure to me. For over a decade I have kept that paperweight and the note he sent with it. Last week, I opened the bottom drawer of my desk and his note sat there staring at me, right on top. I decided that my final gift would be to his sons.
Today, I wrote the boys a letter about my time with their father and what an impact he had on my life. I also enclosed the paperweight. No object will ever replace what they lost but I hope when they look at it, they will be warmed by the memories of a man who meant so much to so many.
Each one of us has someone in our past or present that has impacted our lives. Take a few moments and write them a note. Today.
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