A Message from the Past

While Googling something else, I came across this message that I sent out to our nascent WISPA list right after my father passed away in January of 2004.   I thought it was worth sharing again…

Hi everyone,

I wanted to take a moment to thank you guys for being
supportive on one really tough day.

We have had an overwhelming amount of support over
the last couple of days from our friends and family
and other people in our community.  In addition to being
a well-known businessman, dad spent a lot of time
volunteering at our county fair and being a good friend
to a lot of people.  His passing was the top news story
on the local radio station on Friday, which is a pretty
good indication of the impact he had on our community.

When I was living in a trailer house and driving a
$25 car back in 1997, my dad was one of the very few people
who believed in me and gave me the support I needed to start
my first ISP business.  I might be stuck in a dead-end job or
flipping burgers if it wasn't for the help that he offered
me.  The only thing that he didn't tolerate from a person
was not performing to the best of their ability.  One of
the last things he told me was "do your best and keep
getting after things" and I am going to do all I can to
fulfill his wishes.

Rather than sending flowers or anything like that, I would
ask that you keep alive the spirit of helping others. 
Volunteer some time to a cause that means something to you. 
If you have the ability, give an opportunity to someone who
could use a break.  The rewards that come back to you will
mean much more than the time that you spend.  I think
that the new WISPA efforts are going to pay back big rewards
to all of us and I'm going to volunteer a lot of my time to
that project - you guys can choose whatever works for you.

Best wishes to all of you, and I'll see you again in a couple
of days.

Do your best,

Matt Larsen