He's not wrong. When we first met, he really disliked me, and I him. To say we are political opposites is putting it mildly. What we grew to enjoy in each other is our core values. Our prioritization of family, community and giving back.
Rich Panelli lost his battle with prostate cancer this week, and he leaves a tremendous hole. He touched many lives, and leaves behind a fantastic wife, a son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, a daughter, son-in-law and grandchild on the way and a large group of friends who adored him.
The last month has been a series of tough losses, but for me, this is the toughest. I will miss telling Rich how wrong he is. I will miss him looking at me and telling me he doesn't understand how I can be so liberal. I will miss just knowing he is there.
There is a song from the musical Wicked that came up on my iPhone today "I Knew You." The most telling line for me is "And we are led/To those who help us most to grow/If we let them/And we help them in return/Well, I don't know if I believe that's true/But I know I'm who I am today/Because I knew you"
For all of my family and friends, especially for Alex and the boys, I appreciate and love you now and always.
As Rich became more and more ill, he started signing off on emails by saying "Be thankful for today." I am, and I will continue to be--I may even start signing off that way, so don't be surprised if you see it, along with the name Rich Panelli in parentheses.
Sorry for your friend's passing. I hope you grieve well and reflect on the impact he made to your life. It is truly uplifting and enriching to think of what a person has done to your mind and happiness and not the future we dont have with them. Thank you for sharing this with the world.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I appreciate everything that I gave and gained to my friend, but the reminder is nice. Hope all is well with you guys.
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