Monday, August 30, 2010

Nate gained a new friend in Heaven

On Sunday morning, Nate gained a new friend in Heaven. Mike Lisk, a good friend and coworker for almost 20 years, passed away after suffering what appears to have been a massive heart attack. Mikey was a larger than life character who never met a stranger. He and I worked, traveled and shared many a Guinness beer together. In fact, one of my best "small world stories" involved Mikey and the Black Rose Irish bar in Boston.
One of the things I will treasure most about Mikey is his care and concern for Nate. One of his sons was born prematurely and required a very high level of care after his birth. Mikey was one of the few friends who could truly relate to the challenges and struggles that go with being the parent of a fragile child. He always asked how Nate was doing and would do anything for him or us, if we needed it. And that is how he was for everyone.
Mikey will be buried on Friday with full military honors as he faithfully served our country for 20 years as a USAF Combat Controller. Like so many others, I will miss all of the "Mikey Stories" but I do know a few things for certain...
When Mikey got to Heaven, he found Nate and gave him two big hugs...one from me and one from Jen...then he sat him down and started telling him stories. And if I know Mikey, he still won't be done when Jen and I finally join them!
Trey