Friday, September 26, 2008

Good by to My Friend

I lost a friend today. Actually he was more than a friend. He was like part of my family. We spent many hours together working on behalf of my children and on behalf of other children. I truly feel that without him my son and daughter would not have done as well as they have, if not for him. I’m sure many parents would say the same.

We were working on what turned out to be his last project. It was to be called The Sign of the Times. It was meant to be a wake up call for anyone involved in the education of children. Times have changed and if we don’t change, our youth could be lost. By that I mean that we are not meeting the needs of all children. If we sit idly by and allow this to happen, what does the future hold for them? It’s difficult enough to live in Michigan with the economy so depressed. If we could save some of those children at risk, we just may have a shot at recovery.

Bernie taught me many things. Life is short live it to the fullest, don’t hold back and “be hard on issues without being hard on people”. And when I complained about how hard things are when you can’t do what you once were able to, he took my hand and said “It is what it is. We can’t change these things; we can only make the most of them.”

He taught me so much and I looked forward to our times together. He was not just a teacher, he was a mentor, a friend and someone who made me laugh. Life will not be the same without him. I am totally devastated and felt yesterday there was something wrong all day. I even mentioned it to one of my co-workers. I guess he was trying to prepare me. Life ended too soon for him. He and his beloved wife Kathie had so many plans. I am so sorry they won't be able to realize them. I am so sorry Kathie and I will miss you Bernie.

This photo was taken last week.

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