I have several other things I need to be doing right now, but I've neglected my blog for a few days now, and I just need to take a moment to write my feelings.
I believe it was last Wednesday that Joel Olson passed away. Such a sudden, tragic loss. :( Joel was, from what I hear, an outstanding associate professor at NAU, teaching political science. But I knew him outside of school. I recently worked as a child care worker at a gym, and Joel and his wife worked out several times a week and would drop off their three kids. I adore that family. They are the nicest people, and their kids are just a blast. Exhausting, but a blast. :) I have met very few people as sincere and involved with everything as Joel; he truly lived his life. He was extremely politically active, and even though a few of his ideologies are different from mine, I always admired how he stood up for his beliefs and was...always DOING something about problems he saw. If he disagreed with legislation or a social trend or whatnot, he immediately would try to change it instead of sitting back and complaining, like so many citizens do. And everyone I know who took his classes said that he was very fair and taught them how to think, not what to think.
More than all of this, I saw how he was with his family and how he treated other human beings in general. As soon as I introduced myself to him one of the first days I worked at the gym, he started calling me by my name as if we were best friends. "Have a good weekend, Amy!" When his kiddos told him I was having a baby, he got excited for me. And when I was super sick because of my pregnancy, he would tell his children to be extra good for me so I wouldn't have to run around after them. He was genuinely concerned for my welfare--me, who was barely an acquaintance of his, really. And, my goodness, was he a great husband and father. He just loved the heck out of his family. Every time he walked into the daycare to pick up his kids, every day, they would light up. His youngest, a sweet 3-year-old girl, would latch onto his leg. "DADDY!" He would grin, bend over, engulf her in his arms, and give her a kiss. Every time one of his kids showed him a drawing or coloring page they had done, he would be sincerely interested and pleased. It's so easy for parents to just automatically say, "Looks great." Not Joel. He actually cared; he would take it out of his kids hands for a closer look, and would say, "I like how many colors you used. I love how the tank is shooting lasers...that is so creative! Ah wow, look! That's our family! You are getting to be such an artist." I never once saw him get angry or lose his patience. He would get stern a few times when his kids were acting out, but that's it. And he spoke so respectfully to his wife. Again, I didn't know every intimate detail of Joel's life, but he was a man I always admired and appreciated.
None of the articles or memorials I have read have demonstrated how tender he was with his wife and children, and that is what I loved most about Joel Olson. I knew him best as a family man and a kind soul. I just felt a great need to emphasize this point so that that important and integral piece of him didn't get lost among all of his great political and social accomplishments.
Now, all of that having been said, this is a blog about kindness, and I do have a point to this tribute. I'm a member of the Remembering Joel Olson page on Facebook, and there is a link to a sign up for bringing his family meals. My former coworker let me know about it, and I immediately logged on to look for an evening I could bring a meal to their family. I was shocked to see the number of people who had already signed up...as of today, there are only 6 slots available...the time slots go all the way until June 29th. It almost brought tears to my eyes to see such a huge amount of kindness pouring into Joel's family in this simple but significant way. On their behalf, I am pleased and grateful that their support system is so widespread. The compassion that people show when someone passes away is truly touching and inspiring.
You are dearly missed, Joel. God be with you 'til we meet again.
Challenge for the Day:
Write a heartfelt letter or make a phone call, letting someone know how much you care about them.
Hi Amy. I'm Joel's little sister and just happened across your blog. You are spot on about my big brother. Joel and Audrey have been married basically since I was born and not once did I hear them speak disrespectfully, argue or get upset with each other. Their relationship has been one that, as I have grown up, I really looked up to. As Joel is much older than me, our relationship was very unique. He was always nurturing, protective, interested in what was going on with my life, and always had his little things to kindly make fun of me with (aka me liking Taylor Swift). He would take my other brother to a concert and always made sure he and I did something together, too. We went ice skating a lot! I always appreciated his fairness. His and Audrey's kids have been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I can only hope to be half as good of a parent as they are. There has been such an enormous response to the passing of Joel and my family feels so blessed to receive all the love and support. I'm proud to say that Joel's my big brother and to see all the impact he has made in our world. Thank you for your kind words on a beautiful blog.
ReplyDeleteNatalie Olson
Natalie, thank you so much for your comment. I bet it's been such a blessing for you to have Joel as a big brother. What a fantastic example and role model! I'm so happy to hear that you and your family have been supported during this time, and hope that outpouring of kindness continues for a long time. Thanks for stopping by my blog. :)
DeleteHi Amy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this blog post and sharing your thoughts about Joel. I think you've captured so much about Joel's true personality in your words. In this past week we've heard from so many students about Joel's classroom performance, and heard from so many activists about Joel's politics, and heard from old friends about their experiences with Joel over the years. But somehow your words, coming from the perspective of someone who casually interacted with Joel, stand out from all the commentaries I've read. Simply being a nice, friendly, decent person goes a long way in this world and I appreciate that you appreciated these qualities in Joel. I worked with Joel at NAU since he arrived there in the early 2000's and had the pleasure of socializing now and then with Audrey and the kids. So what you put into words rings true for me and I really value that you put it out there for the public to know and understand. Thank you.
Fred Solop
Fred, I'm honored by your words. Often, when people pass on, they get placed on a pedestal and are portrayed as saintly and better than they were. But despite Joel's flaws that I'm sure he has, he really WAS as good as everyone is saying. Thank you for validating the truth of my post and confirming Joel's character to the world!
DeleteWhat a great challenge! I have been on the receiving and giving end of spontaneous letter writing. It is so special to hear how much someone cares for you. Even just small notes can be so encouraging. I hereby accept your challenge. Now i just have to decide who, of all the great people in my life, I should write/call....first.
ReplyDeleteFirst off- you're blog is awesome, Amy!
ReplyDeleteI can truly see the hard work you put into each and every post.
This post brought tears to my eyes. I never had the honor of having Joel as a teacher, but I do remember him, like I'm sure many others do, speaking at orientation. He made such an impact on us wide-eyed incoming freshmen and it was one of the most memorable parts of it.
It is true we often take our loved ones for granted and this post reminded what is so amazing about family and how people come together at a time of such loss and grief.
Awesome blog. Awesome post. Keep it up!