;)
This is for those of you who have read his articles and stories but perhaps didn’t know Jerry Ahern personally. These are a few of the reasons we will remember him on this, the one year anniversary of his passing.
Jerry loved his country. He knew it was the greatest country on earth and that no matter what goes on here, no matter which party runs the show, America will eventually be populated again by sane, sensible people who will protect the rights granted to all of us under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
He believed that if you work hard and you have some sort of financial success, it is your decision if you wish to help others. Charity of any sort should come from your heart, not from the government or decisions made at your workplace, without your consultation. He believed people would be more generous if they were not pressured into it. Helping people with your money or your time or expertise was something you should feel good about. Jerry’s heart was a mother lode of generosity.
Jerry loved to write. Writing was all he ever wanted to do and he was lucky that after all the years of being employed as a professional writer he still found pleasure in the written word.
Jerry believed that all people were basically good. Some people took advantage of this belief to do bad things but, he was usually right. Most people are good; sometimes they just don’t know it yet.
Jerry was a good father. Neither of our children could disagree with that. They knew that they were loved no matter what.
He loved his five grandchildren. I hope a little of him will remain in their hearts.
Jerry loved me. I know it.
Jerry would want us to celebrate his life and not morn his death. Life for all of us goes on until the inevitable happens. Enjoy the now; you’ll only have it once.
Jerry believed in God and that there was a heaven. In first grade he argued with one of his Catholic school teachers that not just people but dogs too would go to heaven. He later grudgingly chose to include cats in this thesis.
I have this picture in my mind of Jerry and Honey the Wonder Dog walking into God’s office. His desk and the chairs around it littered with documents to sign, stick-it notes and scraps of paper. Jerry, having found his old manual Royal typewriter, holds a note he’s written to God to please bless us all. Finding a semi-bare spot on the desk, Jerry leaves the note where he hopes it will be noticed. As they walk back out through the doorway, Honey, with her big bushy tail, accidentally brushes the note off the desk and onto the floor.
Later, I see God coming back to His office, noticing the paper on the floor. God picks up the note, reads it after dusting off the dog hair. He smiles.
