Few and Far Between

Sometimes there are people that come into your life that have such a huge impact on you. Whether it be someone you have known all your life, someone you work with, someone you see at a family reunion every 5 years, or maybe just someone you meet once in your lifetime. I have recently experienced the latter one.
Back in September '09, Troy and I were busy planning Tiff a surprise birthday party. He was responsible for getting the guest list together and for picking the date. He threw around a couple of dates, but he finally decided on one in particular. And when he told me why, I remember thinking to myself, "Well, he must be pretty special". Anyway, he chose a date where a man named Wade would be there. He was coming from Georgia to visit family, and that was the only weekend he would be there around the time of Tiff's birthday.
Wade worked with Tiff for many years at Wolverine. He was her mentor. He was her "father figure" at work. She talked at length on several different occasions about how much she loved and admired him. I couldn't wait to meet him. It was the night of the party, and Wade, along with his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, were the first ones there. I had a chance to chat with him for a few minutes. I could tell right away why Tiff thought so much of him. He had a glowing personality and a gentle presence. A little while later, Tiff finally came in and panned the room full of guests. But when she got to Wade, she teared up. I won't ever forget that because it was truly special. I watched Tiff interact with Wade and his family the entire night, and there was so much laughter and joking and him telling stories of her crazy days at work. He even had a name for her....Radar. He said she always had her radar up!!!
Sadly, Wade passed away last week from a massive heart attack. When Tiff told me, I just couldn't believe it. It consumed my mind for the rest of the day and night. I couldn't figure out why, as I had only met him that one time and talked to him just sparingly through the night. And then it dawned on me.....I didn't have to know him to know just how special he was. I could see that by the way everyone else responded to him. Those kind of people are few and far between. But once they enter your life, they never leave.
May God bless your family Wade, and may you rest in peace.