Be the best that you can be.

I have been thinking about my own Dad a lot recently. He died fourteen years ago and I still miss him like crazy. When he passed I wondered why this had happened to him? He was only 54, a good man, he worked hard, had a laugh, loved his family and was true to his friends. Sometimes I wondered if he had just been too good for this world? - he had done his job too well in every aspect and maybe once you have achieved what you have been put here to do, you move on. 

I sometimes think the same about John Candy. 

I can spend hours, that turn into days trying to figure out why both of these men were taken so early. John worked hard that's for sure, during his career he was in over forty movies! Then there is also the TV work, Radio Kandy and Camp Candy, add to that co-owning and promoting the Toronto Argonauts. John wasn't just an actor and entrepreneur, he was a Husband and a Father. 

His wife, Rose, was his childhood sweetheart they had met when they were working in the same department store. During their life together, they had two beautiful children, Jennifer and Chris. When I interviewed Carl Reiner the first thing he said to me was,  he had never met a man more in love with his family. That struck such a cord with me, I think that is the highest compliment anyone could ever give. 

This week I interviewed Kevin Pollak, he was in Canadian Bacon with John, a film written, directed and produced by Michael Moore that was made in the fall of 1993. Kevin had lovely memories of John including a conversation they had one night when they were having a drink. John shared that he knew he wasn't long for this world, he was surprised he had lived this long. He also knew he had been criticised for doing some films that the critics didn't rate, but he said "yes" a lot as he needed to bankroll the money for his family - so that he could take care of them when he had gone. Several months later he passed away.

When my Dad found out he was terminally ill, he was more worried about us, his family, than anything else. He taught me how to check my car oil and how to change a electric plug. I didn't realise at the time but it was so I could do it when he was no longer around to do it for me. 

Both of these men were the best that they could be.

This world would be a much better place if they were both still in it.