Good morning and thank you for your continued support of Wisdom 2.5. After posting “Just a Guy,” I received a great deal of feedback that the community likes the idea of the siblings continuing with the blog our father started and it’s been overwhelming to hear the readers want more.

I am going to admit something here – this is a brave new world to all of the siblings. I don’t think any of us ever imagined the response from the community would be as great as it has been. We were all aware that pop had the blog. We read it and we helped with things here and here, but I don’t think any of us realized the impact and reach his blog had.

Pop was a master with words. He wrote from his heart and generally knew what impact his words would have on others. He had a talent, that he spent a lifetime turning into a craft. He understood his words could ignite the imagination of his readers and drive action, offer comfort, create laughter or just make others realize they were not alone.

From the moment our father passed, each of the siblings were reminded of how impacting his words were as we were overwhelmed by calls, texts, messages, and comments. We didn’t know most of the people that reached out to us, but our father did. We heard countless stories of how they may not have met our father personally, but he had significance from the words he wrote. To our father, each reader was a family member and part of a bigger community – a community he was proud of.

I’m going to be vulnerable here and say on more than one occasion I have asked myself what makes me think I can continue to provide readers with the value my father had provided. He was a craftsman, while I’m just a hobbyist. He built his community, while I’m just getting to know you.

These questions might just be one of the thoughts I’ve struggled with growing up as Joe Jr. but it’s gnawed at me as we have continued the blog. (Maybe growing up Joe Jr is a post for another time…).

I am pretty fortunate to have been blessed with an amazing family. My brother Scott actually doesn’t know it, but he addressed my concern in his blog post “…big shoes to fill“, which made me realize all the siblings are probably feeling the same way. In that post he said “We are meant to wear our own shoes. Walk our own path. Weather our own storms.”

He’s right…trying to duplicate what our father did is disingenuous to everyone that followed him. Trying to write like him is disingenuous to each one of his children (and it would make him mad if we tried pretending to be something we are not). We need to wear our own shoes and walk our own path. If there is continued value for readers they will follow us.

This blog has been a reminder to me, that the words from “Wisdom from a Father” will continue to teach me long after he’s gone. Guess I needed to remember that today and I’m thankful I have a community to share it with.

If the community wishes to help and show their support, we have setup a memorial fund established to help with his final expenses. Donations can be made here.

~ Joe Jr.