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Text Box: A Word About a Families Together Friend
To everything there is a season...
There was a growing and becoming season at Families Together. Those of you who made a difference during that growing season know who you are. One of those people was Tom Rose.

Tom passed away on May 10, 2005. As the Director of Families Together during those growing years, I've been asked to write a few thoughts about Tom.

In his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes that we all strive "To Live, To Love, To Learn, and To Leave a Legacy".

To Live - Remember how much Tom loved life. There was a joy of life in his voice and in his eyes. Tom found the best in everyone and made everyone feel he or she was the most important person in the world. We met Tom and Harriet at the first Family Enrichment Weekend in Lawrence. Tom was always so excited about the concept of a Family Enrichment Weekend and wanted every parent of a child with a disability to get to experience it. Many will remember the fantastic mirror kaleidoscope that Tom invented. What delight he found in seeing kids make one and run to show Mom and Dad. It can never be said that Tom Rose didn't enjoy living to the fullest!

To Love - Tom Rose shared a deep love - with his wife, Harriet, and their children, Bill, Jim, Judy and Nancy - and with his other family members and friends that he cared so much about. When Tom was working at Families Together, his love for the parents he was assisting kept him relentlessly pushing until he found the solution to whatever challenge they were facing. He cried with the dads at the fathers' group and smiled with pride as we released the balloons at the end of each weekend. Tom knew how to love and wasn't afraid to show it.

To Learn - From the time Nancy was born and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Tom and Harriet began their search to learn everything possible to help her. Tom researched the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, transition services, and supported employment and shared that knowledge with other parents. Lucky were the parents who had Tom and his knowledge in their corner. He went on to share
this knowledge as the President of the KS Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities.

To Leave a Legacy - Most people probably smile when they think of Tom. They smile because Tom was fun. They smile because they remember how they felt when they talked to Tom. Tom truly lived life out loud. Tom found new ways to say GREAT and he said it often. As the country music song says, "You don't bring nothin' with you and you don't take nothin' back". Tom cultivated joy and love while he was here and he left us better for having known him.

For all of this, our friend Tom will be missed and never forgotten.

With love and great respect,                                                            Patty Gerdel

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