I worked for Joe, but from a distance at first.
600 miles and two distinct company cultures separated us.
And, Joe didn’t easily give away his trust.
Soon enough we became colleagues… ultimately, we became close friends…
A couple of times bringing our families together.
He was a man of immense humanity.
Brilliant, yes, but even more understanding, wise and instinctive.
He saw not just the big picture, but the whole picture.
And he had a great laugh. An infectious one. It was a gift he freely shared.
There’s a wonderful passage about grief that I recently read, and part of it is this:
“The love you had does not disappear; it transforms.
“It lingers in the echoes of laughter,
“in the warmth of old memories,
“in the silent moments where you still reach…
for what is no longer there.
“And that’s OK.
“Grief is not a burden to be hidden.
“It is not a weakness to be ashamed of.
“It is the deepest proof that love existed, that something beautiful once touched your life.”
Thank you Joe.