Pat,
I'll never measure up to the impact you made. I will never set the records you've set. I will never have my principles tested the way yours were. I have yet to love as genuinely as your wife describes. I am so far away from being the man you are perceived to be. That is why you are a remembered and cherished example of mine.
I will look ahead at the impact I can make, ignoring how little distance I've covered, and keeping in peripheral the distance I have to close. I will ignore the records I cross, keeping my passion before glory. I will forgive myself for the principles I cannot fulfill, knowing if I am breathing I have another chance. I will continue to learn to love, despite discouraging circumstances. I will not compare myself to you, but will attend to the gaps between you and me. I will do my best to be cherished and remembered by most, hoping to leave many more regarded memories than bitter ones.
It baffles me where the fight took you, reminding me that mindful is not control. It hurts to have to believe in wellness without you. I never met you and cannot fully believe in you for it, but what people say about you is your legacy. It reminds me to always measure myself by the continuum between how I see myself and how those who never met me might.
RIP
