“Be present. Enjoy your life. Enjoy the time you have with those you love. Every day is a gift.”
I never met Oren Miller, but I consider him a friend. When I started blogging, Oren stumbled upon me on the internet and invited me to join a new Facebook group he created for dad bloggers.
Oren MIller and his son (Oren shared this photo with me when he wrote as a guest for FWF)
This group has become an important part of my life. I often describe Dad Bloggers as one third frat house, one third writing seminar, and one third safe haven for peer support. I am a better writer and have a fuller life both online and in real life thanks to this group.
I was the twelfth member of the group, and now the membership is over 900. I have met about two dozen of the guys. I will be meeting dozens more at the Dad 2.0 Summit in February.
I never met Oren in person, but, especially this Thanksgiving, I want to thank him for creating and inviting me into this group that means so much to me. And I also want to thank him for being an inspiration and role model.
His inspiring message is simple. Be present. Enjoy your life. Enjoy the time you have with those you love. Every day is a gift.
This message is especially acute, because, you see, Oren has stage 4 cancer and the doctors haven’t given him very long to live. Yet he lives so bravely.
I can’t do his story justice because, frankly, I’m just so torn up about my friend. But Oren’s story and Oren’s message is important.
So, this Thanksgiving week, I ask you to do the following. Read these two articles- Oren’s beautiful song to the world and the Baltimore Sun’s recent profile of him. Then, remember his message. Be thankful for what you have in your life. Every day is a gift.
Thank you, my friend. Even though we have never met, you have added so much to my life. I am forever grateful.