Fathers

Inspiration Shot July 2023

This month, two special people who were father figures to me passed away within a week. I was able to say goodbye to one of them by sneaking into the hospital outside visiting hours. For the other, I cancelled a trip with 40 girlfriends to Valencia to speak at his funeral. Fortunately, my father is still ‘here’, but – due to his Alzheimer’s – not the way he used to be. Father’s Day, therefore, became an emotional day with a lot of reflection this year.
This inspiration shot pays homage to all fathers, father figures, and other loved ones and gives some great tips on how to capture your time together while they’re still here.
I hope that the stories and suggestions in this inspiration shot will touch and inspire you, whether you are a father, want(ed) to be, still have your father or have to miss it.

Tribute to two father figures

Elie Patz was our neighbour in Nieuwegein since 1977. We lived next to each other for ten years and our families always remained connected because his daughter Astrid is one of my best friends. Their house was the stable base, the feeling of home that I never had myself. And suddenly Elie was gone 😢
On the morning of his funeral, another father figure died: Karel de Snoo from Abcoude, with whom I collected €16 million for charities when the Euro was introduced. From him, I learned ‘being right is not the same as winning the argument’ and also ‘choose your battles wisely’. In this (Dutch) Facebook post, you can read more about these special people and about the unexpected way in which Karel and I got back in touch.
For both families, I would like to share this beautiful quote from my brother Michael R. Jacobs: “I hope the light of his memory will guide you through the darkness of loss.”

Dear Dad

My own dear father lives in Miami. Because of his Alzheimer’s, we have been losing him bit by bit for the past 8 years. But even though he is no longer the father I once knew, he IS still there! I can call him and exchange some words. I can get on a plane, hug him and have a cup of coffee with him. I look forward to doing that again soon.
To all dads: you are the best! You have no idea how important you are to your children, to set a good and healthy example, to provide a stable basis and above all to let your children know that you love them as they are and that you are proud of them, no matter what.
To everyone who has to miss their father: he is never really gone. His spirit and energy are still there; he is probably watching you from a cloud. And as long as we keep the memories in our hearts, someone is not really gone.
If you still have your father: give him an extra big hug, also on my behalf.

Tip: Capture it

We all know that one day our parents and other loved ones will be gone. And then you’ll think: if only I could hear his/her voice one more time, I’d give anything to just have a conversation with them. My tip is therefore: organise regular family Zoom calls and record them. This way you will soon have a collection of ‘ordinary’ precious moments to look back on.

Copy his (or your) voice

You can go even further. You can now have someone’s voice cloned. With just a few sentences, spoken by yourself or a loved one, you can have a voice imitated. So that your mother can continue to read you books before going to sleep, for example. Or your father gives you directions in your Maps app. You can also have your own audiobooks recorded with your own voice, for example with Custom Voice Cloning – Resemble AI. Try to imagine what you can do with this!

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