In my last post I gave a nod of anonymous thanks to those who kept my company in business for 25 years. However, I left one person out of my thank you list out of fear of driving down maudlin lane and wrecking into a swamp of sentimentality . . . as I always do when I write about family members.
My nephew, Jeffrey Stringer, has worked beside me for 21 of the last 25 years and whatever success that I have enjoyed, whether in health, business, politics, or family life, I give a massive amount of the credit to him.
,Jeffrey is the oldest of my five nephews who, along with my three nieces, form a bulwark of happy memories from my youth. The kind of mental defense that protects my sanity when bad memories try to take over. Each of them are independent thinkers and are successful in their various pursuits.
It might not take a village to raise children, but a well grounded and loving extended family helps especially when they are raising a “gang of eight” (or nine if I include my son in their generation). What follows can be said about the rest of his cousins because they are all exceptional people.
How did Jeffrey build upon the foundational elements of his upbringing? He followed the example of his parents and forged the kind of life that forms the backbone of good society.
He is a nurturing, encouraging, and dependable husband.
He is a dedicated father to his two sons. He has known the grief along with the joy that comes from being a dad.
He remains a supportive son to his mother. He, along with his mother, brother, and sister served as continuous caretakers for his father (my brother) as Parkinson’s came to its inevitable conclusion.
He provides an excellent example of patience and responsibility to the boys he sponsors in confirmation class at church and those he coaches in little league baseball.
He is a consultant par excellence both in our pension plan administration business and our past political campaigns. He provides to his family.
He is good company. Amiability is a key part to his success.
He represents what is right in the world. We need more men like him.
Thank you, Jeffrey.