08/24/2023
When I meet people that knew you and I mention that you’re my dad they usually say something along the lines of “I remember Andy! The big tall guy that drew all the cartoons!”
It’s difficult for me to put into words exactly how comforting it is to hear the genuine enthusiasm in their tone when they remember your little projects or cartoons, because I know that person can see a small, but very clear glimpse of the creative, curious, whimsical, gentle, and genuine person that taught me so much of what I know. For just a brief moment, I know that there is a small hole in their life in the same place, that for a very long time, there was a huge hole in mine and in a strange way it is comforting to know that the burden of grief is not one that I have to carry by myself.
You had a natural gift for all things artistic and child like sense of curiosity you never outgrew. Your goal was never to be the “best” at any one thing but rather to explore and attempt a little bit of everything. In a society that tends to brush aside creativity you had the bravery to be misunderstood and were a living example of how vulnerability and strength are very closely intertwined.
The day you died I lost not only a parent and a friend, but the entire plan of what my life was “supposed” to look like. All the major milestones in life I was so driven to achieve became suddenly irrelevant. Coping with this was dark, painful, confusing, and isolating but once I was finally able to slowly put the pieces of my life back together, it was freeing. I no longer had a constructed checklist of things to accomplish, but a completely new life to experience with a new perspective. My life will never be what I had meticulously planned, and that is okay.
I normally shy away from posts like this but on the day my dad would have turned 61 I want to express gratitude for my best friend/candle making partner. None of the things we create or do ever go according to plan and it has been one of the most exciting and fulfilling things I have ever been a part of. I could not ask for a better person to completely embrace the art of never following a plan with. I would also like to say thank you to anybody that has supported our page and our business in any way. Whether you have followed our page, shared a post, bought a candle, or just stopped by our booth I am forever grateful.
It’s so important to be able to keep alive in myself the same qualities I valued so much in my dad. The support we’ve gotten in just these few short months of doing craft shows means more than you will ever know.
Sincerely and from the bottom of our hearts,
Wicked wicks loves you ❤️