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Dear Andy's Mom

Dear Andy's Mom,

You don't know me at all, but I'm one of the very odd people your son has met over the years from his writing and speaking at Macworld Expo and many other places. I learned about your passing this afternoon, and having lost both of my parents, one to Cancer, (funny how that word needs capitalization), I have a vague idea of what Andy's experience is like. For what it's worth, there's a lot of people sending him some real nice thoughts right now. Again, I don't know you, I never met you, but as a parent, I know that one thing we always worry about is "did we do the job right".

Did we somehow, in spite of our stumbling about, our imperfections, our at times monstrous idiocy, did we manage to do the job right? Did we raise children we're proud of, good kids, who will, and do good things, and are the kinds of people we wanted them to be? Like all parents, we are proud of, and love our children deeply, but there's always a bit of curiosity:

Do my son's friends see the person I do? Do they know him as the same person that I've raised?

It's not that we need the approval of others, but it's nice to know that other folks agree with you, whether about the car you drive, the movies you watch, or the kids you've raised. It's nice to hear nice things from people who don't have to say them. Somehow, the approval of strangers can often be more genuine than that of family.

Well ma'am, allow me to say sans any qualifications: Ya did the job right.

I've known Andy in that odd "internet/macworld friends" way for coming up on ten years, and in all that time, I've never had anything other than the highest respect for him. Obviously, you know how good a writer he is, and how funny he is, but every time I see him, I'm blown away at how good he really is. I've been on panels with him, watched him give talks, even watched him officiate at a wedding, and every time, I'm astounded at how effortless it seems, his ability to reach out to a room full of a hundred people and wrap them all around his finger. Unlike a lot of folks, I'm also only too aware of how much work that kind of effortlessness takes. He works his ass off and it shows.

More than that, he's also been, at least in all the time I've known him, a genuinely decent guy. Not a pushover. He doesn't take a lotta undeserved crap from people. I've seen him mad enough that we thought we were going to be removing a guitar from places it shouldn't oughta be on the guy he was mad at. Andy does mad really well, by the way. Most folks just fume or yell. Andy does it with style. I don't want him mad at me, but it's pretty cool to watch. But even when he's mad at someone, I've never seen him mean or vindictive. I've never seen him do mean stuff to someone just because they did mean stuff to him. From what I can tell, if he really dislikes someone, he'll just avoid them. If he can't, he's always polite and professional to them. That's not real common, and it says a lot about you, and Andy's Dad, and what it says is all good.

I've also learned over the years that Andy is honestly one of the smartest guys I've ever met, and he's got more talents than every banker in ancient Greece combined. If someone said Andy was demonstrating fire-breathing while riding a unicycle, I'd not blink. Singing, magic, programming, robotics, writing, speaking, cuisine, and an encyclopedic memory of cinema. That's not the kind of thing you pick up because you're bored. It speaks of being raised in an environment where learning new things and trying new things was respected and encouraged. (Although at some point, he needs to calm down about "Family Guy". Really, he scared me and Shawn King dry in one of the most amazing rants I've ever heard. Both Shawn and I were about to jump out of the van. We were going 70mph at the time. What I said about not wanting Andy mad at me? Yeah.) It speaks of the kind of family that everyone should have, and too few people end up with.

Like I said before, ya did the job right, and on behalf of the many, many people who have been lucky enough to listen to your son charm us out of our socks at a talk, or enjoy his expertise with the written word, or have been luckier still to have a chance to sit down and talk with him about, well, whatever...

Thanks

Categories: Other

Posted by John C. Welch at 16:02 | Permalink

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Dear Andy's Mom,\n\nYou don't know me at all, but I'm one of the very odd people your son has met over the years from his writing and speaking at Macworld Expo and many other places. I learned about your passing this afternoon, and having lost both of my parents, one to Cancer, (funny how that word needs capitalization), I have a vague idea of what Andy's experience is like. For what it's worth, there's a lot of people sending him some real nice thoughts right now. Again, I don't know you, I never met you, but as a parent, I know that one thing we always worry about is \"did we do the job right\".\n\nDid we somehow, in spite of our stumbling about, our imperfections, our at times monstrous idiocy, did we manage to do the job right? Did we raise children we're proud of, good kids, who will, and do good things, and are the kinds of people we wanted them to be? Like all parents, we are proud of, and love our children deeply, but there's always a bit of curiosity:\n\nDo my son's friends see the person I do? Do they know him as the same person that I've raised?\n\nIt's not that we need the approval of others, but it's nice to know that other folks agree with you, whether about the car you drive, the movies you watch, or the kids you've raised. It's nice to hear nice things from people who don't have to say them. Somehow, the approval of strangers can often be more genuine than that of family. \n\nWell ma'am, allow me to say sans any qualifications: Ya did the job right. \n\nI've known Andy in that odd \"internet/macworld friends\" way for coming up on ten years, and in all that time, I've never had anything other than the highest respect for him. Obviously, you know how good a writer he is, and how funny he is, but every time I see him, I'm blown away at how good he really is. I've been on panels with him, watched him give talks, even watched him officiate at a wedding, and every time, I'm astounded at how effortless it seems, his ability to reach out to a room full of a hundred people and wrap them all around his finger. Unlike a lot of folks, I'm also only too aware of how much work that kind of effortlessness takes. He works his ass off and it shows.\n\nMore than that, he's also been, at least in all the time I've known him, a genuinely decent guy. Not a pushover. He doesn't take a lotta undeserved crap from people. I've seen him mad enough that we thought we were going to be removing a guitar from places it shouldn't oughta be on the guy he was mad at. Andy does mad really well, by the way. Most folks just fume or yell. Andy does it with style. I don't want him mad at me, but it's pretty cool to watch. But even when he's mad at someone, I've never seen him mean or vindictive. I've never seen him do mean stuff to someone just because they did mean stuff to him. From what I can tell, if he really dislikes someone, he'll just avoid them. If he can't, he's always polite and professional to them. That's not real common, and it says a lot about you, and Andy's Dad, and what it says is all good.\n\nI've also learned over the years that Andy is honestly one of the smartest guys I've ever met, and he's got more talents than every banker in ancient Greece combined. If someone said Andy was demonstrating fire-breathing while riding a unicycle, I'd not blink. Singing, magic, programming, robotics, writing, speaking, cuisine, and an encyclopedic memory of cinema. That's not the kind of thing you pick up because you're bored. It speaks of being raised in an environment where learning new things and trying new things was respected and encouraged. (Although at some point, he needs to calm down about \"Family Guy\". Really, he scared me and Shawn King dry in one of the most amazing rants I've ever heard. Both Shawn and I were about to jump out of the van. We were going 70mph at the time. What I said about not wanting Andy mad at me? Yeah.) It speaks of the kind of family that everyone should have, and too few people end up with. \n\nLike I said before, ya did the job right, and on behalf of the many, many people who have been lucky enough to listen to your son charm us out of our socks at a talk, or enjoy his expertise with the written word, or have been luckier still to have a chance to sit down and talk with him about, well, whatever...\n\nThanks