andrew: "my thoughts of e"

(Andree here again) There were many emails around the 14th of August, bittersweet and grateful and sad, missing E and happy we had him for a while.

Andrew Rotchford started the ball rolling, and I'd like tonight to post one of the threads. There's a couple more, and I promise to post those very soon indeed.

***

ABSENCE.....

I can't believe it's been two years since our good friend left us. We all miss our brother every day, he is in our thoughts and part of our daily conversation, just as if he is still here. It's days like this that remind us that he is in fact...absent. Knowing this, we will always miss our brother, this is a melancholy truth that we will all share for the rest of our days. He defiantly set the bar for all of us, a bar that he challenges all of us to follow and to move forward, exceeding our own perceived limitations and abilities. As long as we keep his amazing zest for life and his uncompromising example of friendship alive in our minds, his drive, humor, philosophy and personal goals will continue on. It's not a cure for the absence we feel, its just a brightly colored sticky band aid that we all wear until we possibly see that big guy again. On that day, I believe as always (per typical selfless Erik) he would be very interested to hear what we have done with our lives. It would be great to tell him once again "Thank you, because of your friendship, confidence, sound advice and by your excellent example we have accomplished things that we would have never thought possible had we not known you. Best of all, we achieved them all with a sense of balance and distinction."

Can you see him smiling? I can...
Andy

RESPONSE FROM DAD:
Well said Andrew, my lad. He is in our thoughts all thru the day and every day.
Thank you...
Terry

ANDREW:
Thanks Terry,

I did however find a weird spell check snafu that I did not notice until later. It changed (He definitely set the bar for all of us) to (He defiantly set the bar for all of us).
Well, I guess in Erik's case, they both work. He was always challenging the status quo, that's what made him so damn cool!!

Maybe Erik was doing a little Ghost Writing helping me with the appropriate syntax. Say hello to Donna and everyone for us.

Talk to you soon,

Andrew