Your mother and I recently lost a very good friend of ours. She died of cancer and she was only 39 years old. Sad. But as sad as it is, we can all learn some very valuable lessons from our friend Suzy (who by the way was a great engineer).
There is a philosophy which says, “Live everyday like it is your last.” This essentially means live life to the fullest because you never know what is going to happen from one day to the next and you could lose anyone at any minute.
Suzy did this. She worked hard at work, she played sports, she skied, hiked, and also was also a great mother who was raising two young kids.
When your mother and I went to Suzy’s funeral, the church was filled with people saying amazing things about her, because she cared for people and took the time get to know people. She made people feel special.
Like everyone else, you will most likely be busy in your life, but don’t forget about people — your friends and your family. Never be too busy for them.
Here are a list of some things that I noticed that Suzy did, and I would recommend you consider doing some of them too.
- Be the best you can be at whatever career you choose,
- Work hard, but also play hard when you are not working,
- Engage in things that you are passionate about (things you enjoy doing), even if it means you take some time off,
- Do work that you love to do,
- Help people, even if it means you might have to slow your own career or life down to do so,
- Treat everyone like they are special, even if they are younger or less experienced than you,
- Make people feel special as often as possible,
- Never stop shooting for your goals, no matter how many obstacles are in your way, and no matter how many people tell you, you can’t do it,
- Always talk to your parents about everything, we are here to help you, and for any reason, if we are not, then talk even more with your siblings.
And one day where you are older, ask me about Suzy, there’s much more to tell.
Love,
Dad
P.S. Here’s some more information about Suzy.
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