Saying Goodbye

There are many things that can be gleamed from the tragic loss of life that was Steve Jobs; dignity; integrity and an overwhelming sense that no matter who we are or how rich we have become..in the end...we all are destined to pass on.

I was taken aback by the many press releases I had read on the man and had followed his career with some sense of wonderment and awe...as many others have as well...but it was not till I read some of the words that he extolled in his last days prior to his death that my respect for him soared. See I was never and Apple or a MAC convert...the boys...yes...and oh did I pay the monetary price (literally) for it...but I was happy with my IPOD and just running down the street oblivious to the world around me...but the man from Apple who knew he was going to die had some very well written versus that I could relate to over time.

“I once asked him if he was glad that he had kids, and he said, ‘It’s 10,000 times better than anything I’ve ever done.”  When a father looks back on his life he sees many things; mistakes, gains; losses and of course loves...but there is no greater gift then holding a child and watching him (or her) grow up and become an active participant in life. As of the writing of this passage, I just received a phone call from Ian...and we had a discussion about hockey...and he could tell that he made my day by just by calling. Jake did the same thing this A.M. as he discussed his upcoming time off...it was so good to catch up with them...and much needed... today of all days. Steve Jobs was correct in that everything associated with kids has been a miracle for me and carried me through some very tough spots...even if it meant shelling out major dollars for all those Apple products...it was money well spent.   

“It was all about living life on his own terms and not wasting a moment with things he didn’t think were important. He was aware that his time on earth was limited”. I recently had a major argument with my father...albeit for many reasons...I don’t think he would ever get my choices; my motivations; my rationale for what made me tick. At this point in my life it was about giving to those that could not do for themselves and for helping those in need. I never sought the refuge in family that many others have and yet my own children are the basis for what drives me to do what is right...that to me is what is important. The ideals that Steve Jobs laid out in securing Apple as a global giant came from a dream of giving; giving to others and keeping the ones that matter close...that was a gift from Apple that very few will ever be able to see...I am glad I have.  

 “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”  Again...when I look back on what my father and others have said...I have the moral conviction to do what is right...and know that those decisions help others. In the construct of my own life I have had the successes and failures that make one stand back and take notice...and yet...in matters of the heart I am devastated. It is in these matters that I wish I had had the intuition to follow my heart...and to ensure that was never without the one I not only loved but ultimately needed...and yet here I am again...alone...and all by my own choosing.

Steve Jobs did not choose to die...he choose to live a life that was predicated upon the belief in providing for those that mattered most to him ...and he did this his whole life. He was not a philanthropist...he was something more important...he was a husband and a father...who put his family first...and all the other things second only to that. It is lesson from the man synonymous with Apple that many of us should learn...before we have no time left.

Thank you Steve .and may God keep you close