Missed and Admired

To be honest, I didn't know Tad as well as I would have liked. Unfortunately, living many states away prevented me from seeing him more often, but it was very easy to see what a special person Tad was even in the few times I did hang out with him.

It was also easy to see how special Tad was through Lauren's eyes. I have known Lauren for years and came out to visit her when she and Tad were living and working in Hawaii. I remember being there for a day or two before I was able to meet him because he was guiding tours. After a day of catering to guests, he met up with us with so much energy, I was taken aback. I had thought Lauren had the most energy and life of anyone I knew, but, as she herself said, she had met her match.

After that initial exuberant meeting, it became easy to see what Lauren saw in him. It seems cliche to talk about how special someone was after they have passed away, but Tad really was special. Every day Tad showed the kind of love for life that I feel lucky to feel now and again.

When I heard that Tad was no longer with us, I really felt that the world had lost a special person and my heart ached. Even I was surprised at how upset I was over the loss of someone I only knew but so well. Though I have cried many tears reading over the postings full of love that his friends and family have written on this blog, I also truly sense that those who knew him, despite their sadness, are better people for having known him--and that warms my heart. It is a special individual indeed who can touch the lives of even those who only knew but a fraction of his personality, and I can only hope that I can learn to be more like Tad.

You will always be missed and admired,

Meredith

A Moment of Anything but Silence

I imagine that most of us have spent countless minutes staring off and thinking, wondering, asking, grieving, being angry and just missing. Tearing up on our way to work or smiling when we pass the Miracle Whip at the grocery. I was thinking today that Tad was anything but quiet and that maybe he would like to hear a song or two from us. How do we chose just one song that reminds of us Tad? Impossible.

Either way, I'll start here.

Tadly, if we're doing what we should be, through us, you're still alive...

Merry Christmas Tad

Tad leaves a life of legacy that gives our family and his friends strength, hope and pride. Lauren said it best in Tad's blog about how many tears shed over his lost. Not having Tad around is still tough to say the least. I sometimes wonder how many times many of us have driven around malls, or school parking lots, around street blocks before meeting clients, students, teachers, going to farm or grocery stores in order to wipe tears, gain back our composer so we can carry on our purposes in mind that day. On some days, it's a mustard seed of faith that helps me move the mountain of loneiness and depair not having Tad with us.
Dec. 11, Tad's 35th birthday, our family traveled to Colorado to a place Tad loved to ski and have fun. Lauren took care of the logistics of getting great deals to help on expensives. Turi and I drove our Subaran and met Santo, Amy, Isa, and Ginnia at the air port. Santo drove us to our mountain home provided by my cousin Joyce and husband Jerry. They were so gracious for giving us a wonderful place to relax and have fun. A fun and big home, Isa and I counted 115 light switchs for math exercises our first evening.
Roy, one of Tad's best friends, came one evening and bless us with words about Tad. A neat three days of fun.
Some after Tad's funeral, Turi and I stored all the sympathy cards in a paper sack and decided to do something about them. We choose to pick a card randonly each night before bed, read it out loud, then pray for that person or couple who sent it. We prayed that God would bless their lives, and gave thanks to God for what they have done in our lives. This has been a tremendeous sense of peace for us and we look forward to this occasion each night. Isa and Ginnia like doing this too when they are with us. It's been nearly 8 months from Tad's passing and we are almost through the cards.
Now we are thinking of finding a tombstone that will give each one who visits Tad's grave site a sense of peace and happiness. We will a picture of Tad, a mountain scene, and a saying that will help keep Tad's legacy alive for our family, especially for Uncle Tad's neice and nephew.
Tad was one heck of a guy, brother and son. His journeys span the globe. His journels of those experiences enlighten readers to how good and wonderful this earth we call home is.
Tad brought to our home some wonderful and loving people. One very special person is a gal named Lauren. She is pretty, witty, smart and silly with a heart of gold. We still love when she calls our son, Taaad. Amy and Lauren keep in touch faithfully and we have fun hearing from her too.
PT, Backroads, REI, friends, of Tad, you did all you could to help make Tad's life meaningful and productive. Our family says thanks. Scott aka, Stewy, we can not thank you enough for helping in those tough times.
We live on with Tad's goals in mind very day---make people happpy, have them feel good about themselves, let people leave your presense with a sense of peace, a sense of love, and sense of happiness and above all, don't mess with coffee, put Mayo on everything you eat.
For our gift to you this day of Christmas, Turi and I ask each one of you to reach for your Bible, turn to verses that Tad marked in green, Isaiah, 40, verses 28 through 31. I hope this will set into your minds what Tad wanted us to believe, what gave Tad that relentless drive to accomplish what he did, and what love does for poeple who puts their hope and trust in Jesus Christ, no matter what sickness, disease, or failures comes your way. It's true, it works.
Merry Christmas Tad, Merry Christmas to all of you.

I leave you with Tad's legacy- peace, love, happiness.

Love,

Tad's Mom and Dad
Proverbs: 3: 3-6

Birthdays Will Always Be Remembered

December 11, 2010 - Tad, we celebrate you, your zest for life and your adventurous spirit. Today has been a day of firsts as many have been without you with us. It was a birthday not celebrated with"coconut cream pie", it was a family gathering with the honored member missing, it was a day with as many laughs as there were tears...however, your strength, courage and character will forever live within us. I may have lost you, but I have gained a family I couldn't imagine living without.

You'd be so proud as Isa and Gianni learned to ski and board today, Amy and Santo showed promise of dynamic anticipation as they glided down the mountain, Mama and Papa sowed their wild oats tubing, and I...I managed to get buried in about 3 ft of fresh powder:)

Though you touched the lives of many - you lived for your family, your friends, and for me and that is an honor only few know.

I hope that you have found PEACE, you know that you were LOVEd, and all those that you've touched find their HAPPINESS - Lauren

Makes you smile...

I still have moments almost daily that make me think of Tad, some not so blatant as seeing this new Sno Cone store in Overland Park over the weekend... thanks for keeping us smiling!

-Brian Glaves

I am sure that, like a lot of you, I have been having a difficult time putting into words how much Tad meant to my life. I was very fortunate to spend many years in a close friendship with Tad. He never ceased to amaze me with how much life and laughter he could breathe into a room.
We lived together for two years in Kansas City, while Tad was going through P.T. school and I was in D.C. school. During those years, there were a lot concerts, plenty of partying, and very few dates. I blame the latter on Tad discovering his love of the guitar. When Tad first started to play, his "repetoire" consisted of about 5 songs---most of which were the classic 80's hair band songs and (of course) a couple Pearl Jam songs. Many MANY nights around nine or ten I would hear loud thumps coming up the stairs, followed by a tap on my door and Tad's booming voice coming from his grinning face ordering "let's get to work". Like everything else in his life, the "practice" was not done half-ass. The scene was thus: Tad and Chad, a bottle of dirt-cheap Merlot, sheet music of some God-awful Poison/Bon Jovi/Indigo Girls' song, and two voices bellowing at the top of their lungs a little ditty (at times about Jack and Diane). As I said before, Tad would not except half-ass. Every word had to be down perfect, and the only volume was loud. It was a blast....
On a more serious note, I learned so much about the beauty in life from Tad. He had a never-ending supply of love, laughter, and a unique insite to the little things most of us tend to take for granted. His friendship was such an honor.

Thanks for listening. I will miss and always love my brother.

Chad....or as Tad would say: "that guy Chad"

P.S. I thought of telling the infamous Pike's Peak story, but I could never come close to getting it the way Tad could do it, as he could get even people who didn't know us crying tears of laughter while telling it. This picture was taken at the top, just before he nearly froze and I hitchhiked with the hillbillies. Little did we know what a story this trip would make....

Thank you all!

My nephew was here for Memorial Day. He showed me how to enter onto the Tad's blog. So here goes. Of course I confess, Tad did not pick up his writing ability from his parents.
Turi and I want to thank you all of you who wrote in the blog and told us how Tad touched your lives. These single expressions of love have undoubted helped us with our lost of Tad. From the short stories, videos, and and poems, they have all caused us to return almost daily to check to see if something new was on the blog.
Some of you know that Turi and I left a week after the funeral and traveled to Jackson Hole and visited the places where Tad traveled, slept, or ate at. Somehow we could feel Tad with us while we were there. We even climbed part way up Snow King until we ran into snow. Good excuse to quit for us old people.
Some of you may know that when we reached our motel in Jackson, we were given the room # 57 which was Tad's college football number. We knew the Lord lead us there to help with our healing.I couldn't speak when I found out and told Turi outside the motel. I will always remember how blessed we felt when that happened. Kai, thank you for showing Tad's "footprints" at Jackson.
The picture you see was something I wanted to do for him while Tad was working on the tractor in other fields. After the picture was taken, we made arrangements for Tad to view the field art from the air. Several weeks ago, we found this picture, and we agreed we saw something new in it. Look above the K-State print, and we see snowy mountains that he captured years later.
Tad did not particularly like to drive a tractor, but loved driving a combine. We spent many years combining together until he began his travels, Backgrounds and REI. Soon we will again start wheat cutting, and this will bring us many fond memories.
Several people wonder how we are coping and say they can't imagine what you are feeling. We say to them that if it were not for people like you who are reading the blog, calling us on the phone, and seeing us on the street, it would a lot more difficult. Like all of you, his parents agree with you how Tad has taught us more things in these past few weeks to live our lives more fully and and simply have fun.
We think of Tad as what was written in a card, "And we think of him as living in the hearts of those he touched... for nothing loved is ever lost... and he was loved so much."

Love and respect to all of you,

Al and Turi