A good friend of mine passed away on Saturday morning after a nine month battle with cancer. I joined the family early Saturday am, then unplugged for Saturday aft and Sunday…just lived a moment at a time. Reflected some, laughed some…cried some. Went for a two hour walk in the woods…loved that.
Arrived at the office early Monday am to try to resume…one hour later I left. Just could not do “business as usual”…there was a big hole in my life. A man-sized hole.
It felt like the world didn’t stop to notice its loss.
He was a great friend…a constant source of encouragement…even exhortation when I needed it. A good friend does both.
Its a kicker being in leadership. We all need the space and time to deal with our pain…but as a leader we are also responsible for the people we lead.
So it is not business as usual…it is extraordinary…and it calls for something within us: courage (the ability to act rightly in the face of discouragement) and compassion.
May God give me the strength to take my eyes off me…