Connections Part 1

Lessons in Love, Loss and Resilience

There are many times in life when connections we never expect come into our lives.

Most of us know where we were on September 11, 2001. For me, I was working at my store Ranch Market in Yountville, California when my mom called to tell me a plane had hit one of the towers. I had never been to NYC but knew of the iconic structures. It wasn’t long later that she called me again to tell me the other tower was struck.

As news came in, it was about 10 am when I had reached out to my wife Hannah, who was visiting her sister in San Diego. Hannah had Alaina with her, as she was just over 13 months old at the time. I told her I was driving down to get her, as it didn’t appear airports would be flying the following day, so I got in our Expedition and headed out for the 8 hour trek to SoCal.

As I was driving, I was listening to Sirius XM news and couldn’t fathom what was happening. So I started calling some friends from Yountville that were local leaders and said, “we need to do a fundraiser. There is a family similar to mine that has just lost a mother or father, and has that grief, yet they have a mortgage to pay and so many unknowns. I can’t imagine what they are feeling.” The first person I called was my friend Bill, he was 100% behind the idea. Each person I called agreed. When I returned home the following day, we set a time for us all to meet and decide all the details.

I scoured the world wide web of the time, which was limited. I used my dial up connection and started looking at obituaries. Reading through them one by one. Donate to the Red Cross, donate to the firefighters association, donate to …

Then I came across Scott McGovern. He was in the second tower and had called his wife Jill to say he was okay, and was leaving the building right after he called his sister. When he was on with his sister the line cut. A wonderful obituary was written, explaining of a young family, he was survived by his wife Jill and his daughters, Alana (coincidence in similarity?) and Nicole. The family was accepting any support given.

When the Yountville leaders sat in the room, I presented the idea, it was unanimous. We put on a pasta feed dinner with wine and beer and raised over $8,000. We had done our due diligence to confirm the family and the story was legitimate. We sent the check.

Not long later, I got a call from Jill in tears together we spoke for awhile. She told me of how he would go on daddy daughter dates with his girls, which I later did with Alaina, we would get all dressed up thanks to Scott’ inspiration. Jill and I became immediately connected.

Fast forward 17 years, Jill and her hometown of Wyckoff, New Jersey raised money for us to have a tree dedicated to Alaina on the Pepperdine University campus in Malibu, as well as a mural painting done in her honor with Splashes of Hope.

Splashes came to Napa and allowed us and some of our nearest and dearest to help paint the mural. It was very healing. Fortunately Jill came out to join us. This picture is with Bill and Jill, after the painting was placed at UCSF Childrens Hospital in Oakland.

I don’t know why Jill and I need to be connected, yet I feel so appreciative that we are.

Have you had connections that came unexpectedly in your journey?