Being Gene’s grandson was kind of like being related to a superhero. Strangers would stop me just to shake my hand and tell me about how he had helped them or made them feel special sometime in their life. They would recount every moment of a conversation they had with him years earlier as if they had met the president or their favorite celebrity.
In many ways he was larger than life and I don’t think any one of us ever actually envisioned a world without him in it.
When I woke up last Friday, the world seemed like it was a darker place than it had been the day before.
So I decided that the best way I could honor my Poppy’s memory is to try and shine just a fraction of the light that he brought into this world on to all of the people who I interact with every day. I made a commitment to be a little more like Gene.
I know that even if all of us here today make that same effort; to be a little more humble, a little more selfless, a little more generous and a little more kind, it still wouldn’t come close to replacing the light that Gene shined on this world and showered graciously on those who were fortunate enough to have him in their life. But maybe we would inspire others to do the same, and maybe they would inspire more people in the same way. And maybe all of us together, honoring that commitment every day, can start to bring back some of the brightness that we suddenly find missing in this world.
I’m going to finish by sharing with you what Gene’s final words to me were, because I think that he would have wanted to say the same thing to each and every one of you here today if he had the chance.
“Thank you”
This post is part of the Life branch of jackrosewrites.com. The thread that connects everything starts with the manifesto: There Is No Escape Room.