Thursday, May 17, 2007
A book ends quietly...peacefully
I consider every one's life's to be a book. True, the vast majority of them are James Michener novels, but books nonetheless. This week Tracey's dad, Ed Jacobi, had the final chapter of his life written and published.
Ed Jacobi was an unusual and amazing man. He wasn't without faults. Oooh, so many faults. But he was also a man of much goodness.
He was a task master, but ordered folks around to bagpipe music and Gilbert and Sullivan tunes (ok, some would consider that torture...but not me).
He wasn't always honorable, but he seemed to find a way to honor others. He took the short-cut often, but the majority of the time it worked for all concerned.
He was a bit self-absorbed, but in making himself a bigger-than-life character he brought joy and laughs to those around him.
And above all else, he was stubborn. And when I say stubborn, I mean stubborn. Moving him off a certain position was tantamount to moving Mt. Everest a few hundred miles. But the result of his stubbornness was his amazing fight against cancer. I've never been more amazed by anyone's battle against this ugly disease. So many times, he was given a time frame which he would have remaining to live. And damn near every time, he blew past that time frame with ease.
He took round after round of chemo (breaking the record at Emory University). Day after day of radiation (often during his lunch hour at Home Depot). Seldom complaining, never holding himself out as better than others in the same fight. But bravely battling day after day.
He went into hospice on Thanksgiving day weekend. At the time, they said 3 to 6 weeks, at most. Stubbornly, he made that prediction a joke. He was there 27 weeks. His body slowly wasted away, but generally his mind was there. He still had a sense of humor, right up to two days before his body finally gave out.
He still loved watching baseball, until the very end. In fact, I find it interesting (maybe only to me as a lover of baseball also) that his last breath took place at first pitch of the Braves game on Monday.
In the end, he went quietly. His body no longer able to continue, his breathing slowed more and more, and then he just quietly stopped. Peacefully ending a remarkable life.
As with all good novels, there were many ups and downs. But in reading parlance, it was a good read. It taught many lessons, both what one should strive to do and what to avoid in life. And it was available for all to see, little of its ins and outs were hidden.
So we honor the life of Ed Jacobi. May he rest in peace.
Ed Jacobi was an unusual and amazing man. He wasn't without faults. Oooh, so many faults. But he was also a man of much goodness.
He was a task master, but ordered folks around to bagpipe music and Gilbert and Sullivan tunes (ok, some would consider that torture...but not me).
He wasn't always honorable, but he seemed to find a way to honor others. He took the short-cut often, but the majority of the time it worked for all concerned.
He was a bit self-absorbed, but in making himself a bigger-than-life character he brought joy and laughs to those around him.
And above all else, he was stubborn. And when I say stubborn, I mean stubborn. Moving him off a certain position was tantamount to moving Mt. Everest a few hundred miles. But the result of his stubbornness was his amazing fight against cancer. I've never been more amazed by anyone's battle against this ugly disease. So many times, he was given a time frame which he would have remaining to live. And damn near every time, he blew past that time frame with ease.
He took round after round of chemo (breaking the record at Emory University). Day after day of radiation (often during his lunch hour at Home Depot). Seldom complaining, never holding himself out as better than others in the same fight. But bravely battling day after day.
He went into hospice on Thanksgiving day weekend. At the time, they said 3 to 6 weeks, at most. Stubbornly, he made that prediction a joke. He was there 27 weeks. His body slowly wasted away, but generally his mind was there. He still had a sense of humor, right up to two days before his body finally gave out.
He still loved watching baseball, until the very end. In fact, I find it interesting (maybe only to me as a lover of baseball also) that his last breath took place at first pitch of the Braves game on Monday.
In the end, he went quietly. His body no longer able to continue, his breathing slowed more and more, and then he just quietly stopped. Peacefully ending a remarkable life.
As with all good novels, there were many ups and downs. But in reading parlance, it was a good read. It taught many lessons, both what one should strive to do and what to avoid in life. And it was available for all to see, little of its ins and outs were hidden.
So we honor the life of Ed Jacobi. May he rest in peace.
# posted by Kevin @ 8:16 AM 
