My reaction to hearing the news of Stuart McLean’s passing…was immediate.
Tears sprung from my eyes and my heart completely ached.
I proceeded to blubber.
Full on…tears streaming. Inconsolable blubbering.
It’s 12 hours later, and my puffy eyes tell the story of a sleep that never really came. Of tossing and turning. Of great sadness.
Stuart McLean was family.
He was the favourite “uncle” who pulls up a chair next to you at the kitchen table and tells a story that drags you in so deeply…you almost feel like you were there. He was warm, thoughtful…funny. He’s made you laugh and cry…he’s taught you lessons about life. He’s been there for every step of your journey. He’s made you a better person by sharing with you his insights. He’s made you look at things differently than you may have otherwise seen.
I wrote a status update on social media just moments after I’d heard of his passing just to simply say…my heart was broken…and I was oddly taken back that instead of people saying “I’m sorry for your loss,” they were telling their own stories of heartbreak for a man they thought the world of.
Stories of spending time with him, sharing the stage with him, going on Sunday morning drives with him, baking cookies while in the kitchen with him, sharing a cup of tea and a conversation with him…he has filled every one of our homes with the turn of a dial…that voice that drew us in and wrapped itself around us like a warm embrace.
That voice is gone.
This beloved “uncle”…was not just mine. He was yours.
He connected us.
Last night, on hearing the news of the passing of this man I thought the world of…my heart broke.
And I believe yours did too.
And I’m so very sorry…for your loss.
xo