I have wanted to write for some time about Jake's work.
He was an attorney for Perkins Coie (formerly Brown and Bain) since we arrived in Phoenix in 2006. I have always been grateful for his law firm and for the people he worked with, but have come to have such an increased appreciation for his employment, his coworkers, and his treasured work experiences since the beginning of his disease.
I wrote in my journal the day after we cleaned out his office and will include some excerpts here. My journal reads much like this blog and is much like how I speak. I share what I think and how I feel and am grateful that I recorded my thoughts on that day. Jake actually stopped working and went on long term disability in February of 2015, but was able to keep his office until December of that year. We arranged care for the kids with our amazing babysitter Christine and spent December 7 together in his office.
And I wrote....
"Yesterday I went with Jake to clean out his office. It was a hard thing to do. Like you see in the movies, we took in some boxes and loaded them out with all of his personal effects inside. I don't know if I went with the best attitude, but after going through everything I came away so grateful for this good man who put in so much time and effort at his work to be able to provide for our family. He singlehandedly took care of us for a decade and as we went through his drawers, binders and folders I could get a sense of the commitment he made to provide for me and our children. That is a true indicator of a man- a person who will hold to his commitments to care for those he loves and I am so grateful to know that Jake is that kind of man.
We got to his office at noon and went to the famed 21st floor holiday lunch. Its been a tradition for years and only the attorneys and staff who work on the 21st floor even get to go. We walked into the room and were so warmly greeted by everyone there. Many people gave us hugs, inquired about Jake's health, and said they were keeping up on the blog.
We then went into his office and started going through it. I would open drawers and take things out and then have him decide on what to keep or toss accordingly. He had some toothpaste and floss from after dentist visits, nuts and sardines, stamps and breath mints and pictures of our family around his desk. He had a collection of Arizona Attorney magazines as well as handouts from CLE's over the years. He had about 30+ legal pads- he would write on the first few pages of each one in connection with each new brief or case and throughout the office that made for a good supply. He had his office trophies- trinkets handed out from his various cases that were meaningful mementos to him. He had his framed diplomas on the wall along with his AZ bar certificate.
As we sat and went through all of the papers, people would pop in to visit. They'd say they heard we were there and wanted to say hi. It was so nice to see so many of the people Jake loves and has worked with for so long. I always knew he worked with wonderful people. Not just qualified attorneys and staff, but really honest, loyal, good to the core people. As different individuals came in throughout the day it was confirmed to me again the caliber of people that Jake got to associate with in his work days. I couldn't have asked for anything more than to know that he was surrounded by such wonderful people each day at work and that reality was obvious to me today.
A secretary from the lunch brought us leftover cupcakes to give to the kids along with giving me the beautiful floral centerpiece they had at the luncheon. Each of those acts of kindness softened what was surely a sad experience for Jacob and me. Even as we were faced with the hard fact of closing up his office and admitting his work was over God was there, right in our midst, sending love, sending help, sending peace. I could see His hand through these good people and felt so much that it was His way of softening the blow.
We finished up at about 4:30 and after some teasing Howard helped Jake carry his boxes down to the car. Even remembering it brings tears to my eyes as I know he has such a soft spot for Jake. We drove home with our own reflections and were both on the verge of tears the whole way. We got the kids, ate dinner and did bedtime and then had time to talk and cry together."
I don't know the full measure of what it means for a man to be done with his career, but I know it wasn't easy for Jake. Ever since he was a teenager he wanted to be a lawyer. He set his sights on a legal career early and took the steps and paid the price necessary to achieve it. And he is a fabulous lawyer. He loves research. He loves writing. He loves finding a nugget of gold in a mound of documents and using it to craft an argument. He loved his work and found a lot of fulfillment in his career. I am so grateful for my lawyer husband and for how his hard work always has, and will continue, to provide for our family.
7 comments:
I love lawyer Jacob. He really has the perfect set of skills to be a fabulous lawyer, and he was. I'm so glad you could see the loving hand of the Lord, and the love of Jacob's coworkers through a very hard day. ❤
Chelsea always says that Jake is the best writer she knows. Awesome to set a goal at a young age, work hard, and accomplish it. Very commendable.
You write like that in your journal?! Wow!
It must have been a hard day for sure. I am fortunate to have visited Jacob's office a few times in the last few years. I will long remember him giving his talk to his colleagues about cancer. From my short experiences and all the stories I have heard his colleagues are truly wonderful and so good to him.
I also think that an attorney is the perfect calling for him, not the kind that we see on TV or movies with the theatrics, but a real attorney with a sharp, analytical mind, who loves to research and create strong arguments to support their case. He did work very hard and does a great job providing for his family.
Hard to close that chapter, but it's easy to feel proud of his work there.
Jake has done an amazing job in his career. He has worked very hard to provide for the needs of his family now and into the future. The colleagues in his law firm sound like a great group of people. I know they have been very good to Jake over the years of his illness and have done everything they could do to help in this difficult situation. I'm sure Jake's skills and expertise are sorely missed in the office as well as his easy going presence. I would imagine it was terribly hard for all concerned the day Jake cleared out his office and my heart goes out to you, Jake and all those who love him and miss seeing him daily at his law firm.
Such bittersweet memories! Long time goals made and not just achieved but far surpassed. Neither of you could have dreamed your future! But you planned and prepared the best you could, in big and small ways, in faith and love, for what has come to your door now. I've felt that feeling of Heavenly Father right beside me, feeling His comforting love, and knowing He will help me in so many ways. And somehow I still have to walk on. Jordan I love you, I love remembering how faithful you are in journaling, and now your writing skills bless hundreds, maybe thousands.
And my heart breaks as you watch your best friend, love of your eternal life, subject of your every thought for decades, changing before your eyes. My thoughts are with you.
That must've been a hard day. One of Jacob's greatest qualities is is work ethic, and willingness to see a task through. How lucky he was to find a career that matched his skills and interests so well, and how terribly sad to see it cut short. He was an example to me of how working hard in school opens doors that otherwise might be closed.
Take it from one who knows - Jake is an excellent lawyer. He is capable of getting right to the core of an issue, understanding it, and solving it. Some of the essence of being a lawyer is to recognize that there are at least two sides to every issue, recognizing and anticipating the opposing arguments and the strengths of those arguments, and understanding subtlety and nuance. Jake has a mind for the lawyer's craft, and his research skills are tremendous. I am so glad that his career matched his skills so well. Jake is a credit to lawyering as a profession, and I am so proud of the way he has done his work in the law.
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