sonora2sonoma

It’s always shocking when someone you know dies. Death, after all, is a normal process, part of the great mystery we call life, so it’s odd that we react like we do when it comes around. And yet, it remains a signature event, something instantly memorable that grips our attention like nothing else. Whether it’s the finality of death that gives it so much of its power, or the way it reminds us all that our time will come too, it elicits the most powerful emotions in ways that stop us instantly in our tracks, forcing us to reckon with feelings that, in many instances, we were only dimly aware we had beforehand.

My wife’s boss passed today, the victim, presumably, of a nasty virus—a terrible way for a life to end. I didn’t know him well, although I’ve known him casually for a long time. My wife, on the other hand, has worked closely with him for years. His passing will have a tremendous impact on the company where they worked, as he fulfilled many functions for the company that he alone knew how to perform.

That’s another thing about death—it leaves big holes in the lives of those left behind. In Charlie’s case, the hole he left behind in the company pales in comparison with the empty space his passing left in his young daughter’s life. Chief Financial Officers are easier to replace than fathers, and I’m told he was a good one.

Amid the disruption and displacement that surrounds someone’s passing, it’s good to take note of the clarity such an event provides concerning what is truly important, freed of all the distractions in which we daily immerse ourselves. Beneath all the fluff, beyond all the din and clamor, lie those qualities that give life its meaning—things like love of family, goodness of heart and care for our brethren.  As the world changes, these things will never fall out of style, and are always waiting as silent reminders to give us strength in our time of need.

Tim Konrad