Monday will mark the third anniversary of my father-in-law's death. He and I shared a very special bond - unusual considering how short a time we actually knew each other.

His passing was brought into sharp focus again for me this week as on Thursday my mother-in-law had a heart attack. I thought about the timing of it a lot and wondered if he was calling her - they were married for more than 50 years.

Bob Jones - a very common name for an extraordinarily exceptional man. If, as a man named Henry Ward Bleecher once said, "Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven", then there can be no doubt as to where Bobby is right now. His first and main passion was his family. His second, being the Red Barn - the family restuarant in Lakeland, Florida that he owned a ran for a very long time.

Within a year of his death, it burnt to the ground. It had been started by Bob's own father and had been in the same place for 54 years.

Bob knew no end to his giving, even when he wasn't trying to. The very last time I saw him - some 10 hours before he passed, he actually managed to make my day. I had been sitting at his bedside for around an hour, just holding his forearm while he rested. He woke up and turned his head. He spoke my name and somehow managed a smile before drifting back to sleep. That is a very nice final memory for me to have of this great man.

But let me dwell a little while longer at his incredible generosity. You had to be careful what you said around Bobby sometimes. A simple "what a great cookie" would certainly lead to a case of the things being delivered to your door!

Bob's second passion was of course The Red Barn. I tried many times to tell him to give it up and enjoy his life, but he never listened to me. I think now its because he enjoyed it so much. Again, just a week before his passing, one of his long time employees came to see him at the hospital. Bob was finding it tough to talk that day, but he motioned her closer and whispered "how was lunch?".

Bobbie had his quirks too - his third passion was Sports. I remember back in the 2002 Football season when he discovered that I had never actually been present in the stadium when the Tampa Bay Bucs had lost. Suddenly I became almost the guest of honor at every important home game. I think the last game we attended together was in the playoffs against the 49ers in that Superbowl year. Bobbie and I had many great football discussions and I miss them.

About the last football thing we did was just a few short weeks before he died. I went to Green Bay to see the Battle of the Bays. Bobby was so excited! I was actually going to go to Lambeau Field - the spiritual home of football. Of course the Bucs won and for the one and only time in his life, Bobby asked me for something. I have no other memory of him ever asking me for anything else the whole time I knew him even though both of us always ended every conversation we had with each other with "is there anything I can do for you". But he was very specific - he wanted a Brett Farve commemorative coin which I did go and find.

And while I was finding it, I also managed to find him an actual piece of Lambeau Field - part of one of the original flagpoles framed and authenticated. It was a pleasure to see him light up on receiving those gifts even though he was already very sick. Everyone that came to see him at home for those few days after that was forced to look at this piece of flagpole and read every word of the certificate of authenticity on the back - word for word and out loud. It was my pleasure and priviledge to bring him that very small piece of joy when he was already suffering so much. My mother-in-law gave it back to me after Bobby passed and it hangs proudly in my home now.

Someone once said that "what we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal". In this way, Bobbie will never leave me or anyone who knew him. Many people have told me that Bob and I were similar in many ways. If I end up as just half the man he was, then I will be extremely proud of the life I would have lead.

And that brings me to my mother-in-law, Shirley. She gave us a real shock this week. I'm pleased we got to her in time even though the heart surgeon told us that she had about 20 minutes left when he got to her. She now has a stint and a new diet and hopefully a good 20 years left in her.

I lost my own mom at an extremely young age and I have blogged about her in the past. I guess this week reminded me that with everything else going on, you should keep your family close and remember all the important things. You can watch the Presidential candidates knock lumps out of each other and you can see the financial position of the United States almost crumble before our very eyes, but all of that pales into insignificance next to your family and friends and the people you care about.

Don't lose sight of that my friends.

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(Copyright © 2008 By Simon L Conway All Rights Reserved.)

Please give me a call if you have questions about the Central Florida real estate market.  You can reach me on 407 876 8200.  Also visit my web site at www.simonconway.net or www.move2orlando.net