What a year, Please say it'll get better.

A lot has taken place since I’ve last visited here. Only four months into the year and it’s proving to be a real stinker. I’m afraid to tempt fate and say “it can’t get any worse” but something has to go right sooner or later. Let me explain.

February rolled around and the four man partnership that formed our business had to be paired to three. The general feeling among me and the other two board members was that we were paddling up the stream as hard as we could and the fourth partner was drilling holes in the boat. Needless to say this is not conducive to a healthy, thriving or productive business relationship so we were forced to ask for his resignation. As a side note we are still finding things that he had done that are causing our company strife.

Second and most devastating to me personally, March ended with the loss of my mentor, friend and greatest hero, my father Lynn McDaniel. Dad had been battling leukemia since 1998 and although he was forced to slow down occasionally he never gave in. Although long since retired (and living a retirement dedicated to fishing) he had forgotten more about air-conditioning and refrigeration than I will ever know, and while I fancy myself a pretty good a/c tech, I fear I may never achieve his level of expertise. Dad also had a talent for talking to people. He was a man who never knew a stranger (a gift I always admired) he could talk to anyone from a King to a pauper and treat them both with the same respect. A truly rare soul he touched a great many lives and none more than mine. I must confess that I rarely made a decision without consulting him. His answer often was simply a question directed back at me, and even when given, I did not always follow his advice, but I knew he was always on my side. He is sorely missed.

The third tragedy, and most recent was a young man named Jason Clifton. I just returned from his funeral prior to writing this tonight. Jason was the nephew of one of the remaining partners in our company. After the death of his parents at a young age he was raised by his grandfather and was more of a brother to Stephen. He came to our rescue after the dismissal of our forth partner. You see our odd little company also has a computer sales and service department, Jason had a degree in electronics engineering from ITT Denver and just the skills we needed to plug the holes in the boat mentioned earlier. Much like my father, Jason had an ability to talk to anyone. He was a youthful spirit and genuinely fun guy to work with. Last Thursday while he was working at his second job, joking with his boss, just being Jason, he collapsed. Everyone has been devastated at the suddenness of his departure. At 26 years of age he had shown no sign of what took his life and we are still in shock.

I must apologize at my feeble attempt to memorialize these two wonderful people here tonight. Needless to say I’m still reeling, and this is probably an attempt on my part to share my anguish with the world. I would like to end this piece with a prayer.

Dear Lord, please be with the families and loved ones of these two dear people that you have called home. Let us feel your comfort and ease our pain. Let us know that while they have finished their time on earth, that they are safe in your arms in heaven, and that we will see them again when we go home to you. Unique and beautiful in your creation, we will miss their daily interaction that made our lives brighter, but know that your purpose is greater than our understanding. We grieve our loss, but know that they live on in you and in our hearts forever. Amen.