How many a Chrysippus, how many a Socrates, how many an Epictetus has eternity already engulfed? And may the same thought strike you with regard to every single person and every object.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.19
Seven years ago I lost my father, Joe, to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. I had just met my father a few years prior and was slowly building a relationship. We didn’t live close to each other so communication was limited, so I told myself.
The news of my father’s death hit me like a lead weight. Seven years before that I lost my step-father, Gibb, to cancer. With both of my dads gone I felt alone. For the first time, I realized we are mortal and destined to die. It hit me hard with my father. I had to come to grips with the reality of death. Even though our relationship was shallow he was my blood.
I learned from my father to never give up on family. We can be lost, but there is always an opportunity to connect. From Gibb, I learned the importance of having a work ethic, never relenting and always persevering.