Jamiel and I met several years ago in a work context, but quickly became friends.  When I got the call that Jamiel had passed – I was in an airport lounge in Florida at the time – I literally felt like my world had changed in such a profound way.  Even after I moved out of the role at Honeywell that had me interacting routinely, Jamiel and I remained close.  We spoke often.  I have 3 years of birthday wishes from him saved all my cell phone…all starting with “Hi darling”.  I last spoke to him just before Christmas and we were making plans to see each other in January/February.

I know others have shared similar thoughts, but I feel compelled too to let you know how much he meant to me.  He was a friend, a confident, a mentor and an inspiration to me every day.  He was one of the few I could count on one hand as really my inner circle of unwavering support.  My heart both soared and broke for all he has been through with his family.  I really have no words to express how broken I feel that we all have lost such an amazing person.  I just wanted to share this bit with you.  Seeing all the pictures and reading everything about the funeral from the TAPFIN family made me feel so blessed to be a tangential part of that team.  You guys are amazing in a world where business is often moving in a different direction.  What you all have is rare.

So with all that, I just wanted to share one more perspective and tell you how much Jamiel meant to me.  The world has darkened a bit with his passing but the fact that he is now with his daughter again makes me smile through my tears.