I started this summary on LinkedIn. Check out that article here. I only used LinkedIn to introduce what is happening, if you’re interested in learning more keep reading.
First, I have to say thank you to my daughter Kristyna, who has been contributing regularly to our Data on Wheels blog in my absence. I’m amazed at quality and depth of the content she has provided to the community including blogs on the tabular object model and C#. I’m glad she is able to provide great content for the data community.
3Cloud has been a key partner in my journey so far. Early in the diagnosis we were not sure if this was ALS. Frankly, we are still not sure if it will lead to that eventually. 3Cloud has stepped in and helped me find a place where I can contribute and support our teams as we continue to grow our business in data and analytics. For that I can say I am supremely thankful. This has allowed me to adapt to my new circumstances and continue to contribute in meaningful way.
Now we get a little more personal, I can say nothing but great things about my wife, Sheila. She has had to step up as a caregiver in ways that we were not expecting. Sheila has been my rock through this as well as my support when I really needed it. From helping me get ready for the day to keeping me going through the day, she has been magnificent through it all. What we do not know is what God has planned for us or what the next stage will be for me as we move forward. We can only trust him every day for what is next.
As a part of this process, we have moved from Minnesota to Kentucky to be closer to my family. That move was interesting. We had a lot of ups and downs as we went along, and I have my adult children to thank for a lot of the help throughout those weeks. We also had many friends help us with packing and prepping because I could not do much at all. They were very gracious and gave us time on their weekends and helped us make this move. When we got to Kentucky my kids did the lion’s share of unloading which was unexpected. With their help we were able to get moved in quickly. They have helped with painting, clean up, and unpacking throughout it all. I have watched my wife and daughters pick up new skills to fill the void where I would have normally done the work. It’s pretty impressive really. Other family members have also stepped up to help as needed which has been great as well.
So, what does that mean for the blog? Well, Kristyna will continue to write on topics that she loves. I will contribute when I can on technical content. But I will also be providing reviews of various tools and technologies I have tried or used through this journey. I hope that some of these reviews will help some of you out there who may have similar or related issues. And maybe someone will find a tool that will be super helpful to them. I look forward to sharing this journey as we move forward.
If you made it this far, thank you for giving me some of your time and lending me your ear. If you want to know more about the personal side of this journey, you can check it out on CaringBridge. I look forward to getting back out in community and connecting with many of you along the way.
