I just returned from Florida where I was visiting family and delivering a three-hour talk for a mortgage company in Ft. Lauderdale. For those of you who are new to my world or new to this blog and may be wondering why it is that I haven’t been blogging since the Memorial Day weekend, I have sad news to share.

My oldest daughter–my angel–my 18-year-old Kolleen, A.K.A. “KoRo,” passed away quite unexpectedly on Memorial Day. Kolleen was everything to me and my wife Kathleen and our two other children, Kyle and Kaleigh. These last 10 days have been both a horror and an honor. If you’re a parent, you know the horror part. The honor part has been as a result of the outpouring of love and support from nearly every corner of the planet.

To see for yourself what an amazing friend, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, teammate, neighbor, and daughter Kolleen was, please click here for a tribute blog that was created by some of my assistants in the early hours of this tragedy.

I’ll be back soon with updated news and information about my upcoming talks and projects. Until then, I just wanted to say to everyone who has shared a thought, memory, or kind word with my family and me since Memorial Day, we thank you again from the bottom of our hearts. These are difficult and trying times, to say the least, and your support has been of great comfort to everyone in my family.