When we lost Dad to a combination of leiomyosarcoma and Parkinson's disease in January, a chaplain came to visit me in the room where I had been keeping him company. One of the things she asked was, "what was your favorite thing about your Dad?"

I didn't have an answer for her.

Not because I didn't have a favorite thing- it sounds cliche, but there were so many favorite things. In the moment, I rambled a few things that I don't even remember now, but with a little hindsight, I can distill (chemistry joke) my favorite things about him down to two things.

1. He was unequivocally and unapologetically himself- quirky, nerdy, loving. He has two Masters' degrees and several patents under his name. He loved space and science- when we were going through his things, we found a membership card for the Planetary Society, which was co-founded by Carl Sagan. He would have loved our team name made out of elements from the periodic table.
2. He cared about the people he loved with his whole heart. After he had brain surgery to address his Parkinson's in April 2024, he was the one grabbing Mom's hand to guide her way. He played catch with his sons in the backyard, bare-handed until we threw too hard and he had to go buy a glove. May all of us care as deeply and completely as he did. 

We're running this race in his memory.

Ru-N-Ne-Rs...We don't just run...we bond.