“How are Tracee and the boys doing?” (Also fine.)

We buried him on a cold wet day, December 21st, in Rock Island, Ill. I was upset, both at losing my best friend and at having to witness his burial when I knew he hated the cold, rainy weather and would have preferred to be laid to rest in sunny Florida, where he lived for the past eight years, relishing the warm, inviting climate. But it wasn't my call, so I kept my big mouth shut for a change and silently grieved. And I've come to the realization that I'll never really overcome the grieving from this loss. I'll miss those Sunday calls until they put me in my own grave, but hopefully on a sunny day in the summer.

Parents grow old and pass on, and you expect that. But not your younger, more vibrant, full-of-life best friend…

By this point, you are wondering how I could ever make this meaningful to you. After spouse, family, and friends comes the career. You gotta' love it, or learn to, to be a success.

Enclosed with this issue is a copy of Claims Education Magazine. It's a fantastic magazine put out by the International Insurance Institute, of which the inimitable Carl Van is president. He offers courses to insurance company claim professionals, designing them to help teach you how do your jobs better, how to embrace and value your career, and ultimately, how to succeed.

There's something about claim people that I've come to recognize, and that is your love of your jobs and careers. You touch people's lives, sometimes when they're in the most vulnerable of positions. Often, you stay in touch for long periods of time as you go through the claim-handling process. You stick with them, help them, and care for them. That's really what it's all about. We can't let them down, or leave them hanging with loose ends. They need closure. They need support and services.

They need you and, very often, you become good friends and establish relationships. That's called love. Love for your fellow man. Love for human beings in dire straights. What a responsibility! What a privilege. These people take you into their lives and their homes — or what's left of them — in many cases. It's our job, our love that makes it all worthwhile.

Don't wait until you are standing on a lonely, rain-swept, foggy hillside to realize how much you're going to miss in life-long relationships. Tell all the people you love how much they mean to you. And yes, you can convey that same sense of caring to your insureds. Let them know you care, and you will be rewarded in the process.