When I think of Dad, I think of the impact he had on other people’s lives, how he connected with people, friends, acquaintances and yes even strangers. I can’t tell you how many times we would be in a restaurant and he would always make friends with the server. Usually starting out with a joke or a very interesting, personal question. But what was interesting was how they responded to Dad. Not shrugging him off but rather creating this very cool dialogue which only got better throughout our dinners.

I was taught that life is about experiences and connecting with other people. One of my favorite movies is called Its A Wonderful Life. Although the movie is about a man, George, who after having some doubt about his life and who finds his way back with the help of an angel, the end of the movie is what reminds me of Dad. After George’s uncle loses the deposit money for their bank and the Feds are at George’s house waiting for him, he sees his family standing there, happy and healthy. He doesn’t care about going to jail, just that his family is all right.

At that moment, droves of townspeople entered his house and begin dropping all of their hard earned money on the table. For years, George had helped anyone who needed help, sometimes giving them a loan for a business or home which they were not qualified for or just doing them a favor in time of need. The townspeople realized how George had impacted their lives and by doing so, made George realize that same fact.

At the very end, George’s younger brother walks in the house, raises a glass with all of the other townspeople and says, “To my big brother George, the richest man in town.”  Of course, it had nothing to do with money, but rather the friends he had in this life because of who he was and the impact he had on their lives.

To me, Shigeru, Shig, Dad, Pops, Papa was just like George… the richest man in town!