I just wanted to thank everyone who sent me MSG's over the last couple of days. My dad's passing has been hard for some of us in the family, sometimes harder than it has been for others, but we're all weathering it pretty well. By now there are mostly smiles, fond memories, laughter, a few tears and a general sense of purpose. We're gearing up for his funeral, which will be tomorrow. It had originally been meant for just close family and friends, people local to us and some of the individuals he worked with in the past. Unfortunately, the news and media services got wind of the time/location of the funeral, someone misspoke and now it's a hugely public event.
I guess that's the cross a family must bear when its patriarch is a mediated personality. The man we know and love at home is a second, unique person from the one in the media's eye and the media, unfortunately, is beholden to relatively no one.
So we'll say goodbye to Dad under the watchful eyes of strangers.
No big deal. I mean, hell, he had some of his greatest moments in the public eye. We don't have to like it, but refusing to accept it will only cause more strife on our already taxed family.
Time to move on.