hi joe. i came across your substack because i needed some sort of account to comfort me, a daughter of an amazing man who unfortunately lost his life to cancer last october 17.
i've been a silent reader since july this year, and your journey somehow gave me comfort. that my father, too, would see this illness as just a speck in their life, not taking the entirety of who they are as a person.
the line that prompted me to step out of being just a mere silent reader was the line, "so I will always choose sadness at lost futures over sadness at a life not lived."
there's this mindset that i've been pondering about recently: that a person dies twice. once when their body leaves this world, and the second when their name has been spoken for the last time. and i have the power to immortalize my father with the latter.
my dad may have left this world a little too early, yet he still managed to leave his loved ones a lot of stories that will last a lifetime: stories of him as a son, as a brother, as a friend, and as a father. indeed, he had a life well lived. in turn, his name has another lifetime worth of living.
i do not know where i am going with this comment, but i hope this will give you comfort as much as how you gave me comfort during my father's cancer journey. you have touched other people's lives with your personal accounts, and this is my nod to you, to keep living your life and love wholeheartedly.
there will always be a future with you in it. because while this damned cancer may die with you, your name will die with everyone else who loves you. you have always won this battle from the start.
until then, you are immortalized beyond the bounds of this lifetime.
Hi Joe. I read recently that if you want to be immortal ... write a book. Thank goodness there are platforms like Substack so you can kind of write a book with less hassle and more immediacy. I feel your weight. And this chronicling is so important. May you feel the love here for you and may that love lighten your load.
I love you Joe!!
Love you too Meg!
hi joe. i came across your substack because i needed some sort of account to comfort me, a daughter of an amazing man who unfortunately lost his life to cancer last october 17.
i've been a silent reader since july this year, and your journey somehow gave me comfort. that my father, too, would see this illness as just a speck in their life, not taking the entirety of who they are as a person.
the line that prompted me to step out of being just a mere silent reader was the line, "so I will always choose sadness at lost futures over sadness at a life not lived."
there's this mindset that i've been pondering about recently: that a person dies twice. once when their body leaves this world, and the second when their name has been spoken for the last time. and i have the power to immortalize my father with the latter.
my dad may have left this world a little too early, yet he still managed to leave his loved ones a lot of stories that will last a lifetime: stories of him as a son, as a brother, as a friend, and as a father. indeed, he had a life well lived. in turn, his name has another lifetime worth of living.
i do not know where i am going with this comment, but i hope this will give you comfort as much as how you gave me comfort during my father's cancer journey. you have touched other people's lives with your personal accounts, and this is my nod to you, to keep living your life and love wholeheartedly.
there will always be a future with you in it. because while this damned cancer may die with you, your name will die with everyone else who loves you. you have always won this battle from the start.
until then, you are immortalized beyond the bounds of this lifetime.
thank you, joe, for living and loving.
I'm sorry to hear about your father but inspired by your outlook and words. Thank you so much for the support.
Joe, this is hard to read. It is your deep truth.
Thank you. My love to you and your family. ❤️❤️
Thank you Lucia.
Thank you Joe-again-for sharing this most painful journey. I am always around if you need an ear to vent to or arms to hug you. Xoxo
Thank you so much Teresa.
Hi Joe. I read recently that if you want to be immortal ... write a book. Thank goodness there are platforms like Substack so you can kind of write a book with less hassle and more immediacy. I feel your weight. And this chronicling is so important. May you feel the love here for you and may that love lighten your load.
Thank you so much Kelly. It means a lot.