|
Introduction > my father
My father is suffering a very dangerous health challenge.
March 2004
A Gift from Heaven
On a 6am United flight to Chicago with my West Highland Terrier,
Boswell. Making the pilgrimmage back to Madison WI to sit a couple
of tough nights out with my Dad, who's just made it through a heart
valve replacement + 2 bypasses at age 81. He was on death's door
walking into the hospital on Monday and docs gave it 50/50, which is
about 5 times the mortality rate they usually are willing to take
on. But somehow he pulls through, instantly making me about 1,000
percent more optimistic about making it to 150 myself (a personal
dream).
The Man I Hope to Someday Be
My Dad is going to leave in the next few hours, and I am
going to miss him very much.
I feel very fortunate to have known this man for 41 years. I
would have taken more, but this was more than most receive, and
for that I thank both him and God.
He will always remain to me the man I hope someday to be.
April 2004
A Eulogy for John E. Barnett
John Barnett lived a life of quiet inspiration. He loved
sports, books, music, and theater. He shared these loves with us
all, but even more importantly, by setting the example of these
great passions, he generated a legacy of talented athletes,
gifted scholars, skilled musicians, and insatiable performers.
Look around you, this man’s life raised few waves, yet
somehow
generated an enormous wake.
His was a life worth emulating: a life of great faith and
generosity, a life of service to others, a life of simple joys.
Our father couldn’t walk down a street without whistling,
couldn’t pass a stranger without saying hello, couldn’t see a
need without reaching into his pocket.
My Dad will always remain to me the man I hope someday to
become.
May 2004
What do I want to be when I grow up?
Last night was just what the doctor ordered: a big crowd
ready for a big performance, and an inveterate showman desperate
to remember what it was like to hold an entire ballroom in the
palm of his hand. I have never worked a crowd for so many big
laughs in my career, and it did me a world of good. On the eve
of my 42nd birthday, it reminded me of what really animates my
work: the sheer joy of teaching and sharing my ideas with
others.
I don’t pretend that what I do makes me better than anyone
else, or really any smarter. I just know that it’s what I was
meant to do, and I do it better than just about anyone else on
the planet. That’s a very nice feeling for your 42nd
birthday—the first one following your old man’s passing. It’s a
sense of knowing who you are and why God made you this way.
It’s a confidence that allows me to define a global future
worth creating and selling it for all it’s worth.
Thank you, Dad, for helping me become that man. Thank you,
Lord, for giving me the strength to find purpose in my life.
I can’t wait to get home and hug my kids,
kiss my
wife, and mow that lawn...
|
TPMB Updates
Newsletter
Archive
March
March 21, 2004 - March 27, 2004
March 28, 2004 - April 03, 2004
April
April 04, 2004 - April 10, 2004
April 11, 2004 - April 17, 2004
April 18, 2004 - April 24, 2004
April 25, 2004 - May 01, 2004
May
May 02, 2004 - May 08, 2004
May 09, 2004 - May 15, 2004
May 16, 2004 - May 22, 2004
May 23, 2004 - May 29, 2004
May 30, 2004 - June 05, 2004
June
June 06, 2004 - June 12, 2004
June 13, 2004 - June 19, 2004
June 20, 2004 - June 26, 2004
June 27, 2004 - July 03, 2004
July
July 04, 2004 - July 10, 2004
July 11, 2004 - July 17, 2004
July 18, 2004 - July 24, 2004
July 25, 2004 - July 31, 2004
August
August 01, 2004 - August 07, 2004
August 08, 2004 - August 14, 2004
August 15, 2004 - August 21, 2004
August 22, 2004 - August 28, 2004
August 29, 2004 - September 04, 2004
September
September 05, 2004 - September 11, 2004
September 12, 2004 - September 18, 2004
September 19, 2004 - September 25, 2004
September 26, 2004 - October 02, 2004
October
October 03, 2004 - October 09, 2004
October 10, 2004 - October 16, 2004
October 17, 2004 - October 23, 2004
October 24, 2004 - October 30, 2004
October 31, 2004 - November 06, 2004
November
November 07, 2004 - November 13, 2004
November 14, 2004 - November 20, 2004
November 21, 2004 - November 27, 2004
November 28, 2004 - December 04, 2004
December
December 05, 2004 - December 11, 2004
December 12, 2004 - December 18, 2004
December 19, 2004 - December 25, 2004
December 26, 2004 - December 31, 2004 |