rest in peace, mr. mac

Definitely not one of my delights to speak about the parting of a dear soul. Mr. Mac was a consummate gentleman of whom I have been proud and honored to have called "da boss man". In fact, over PW, some one yelled, "Hi-yo!" I told my friends that I had never once heard him use one of his catchphrases, well, other than introducing someone :) We started talking about how much I enjoyed working for Mr. Mac and his family, how they became my family when I moved to Los Angeles. With all the "important" people around, he always managed to make me feel irreplaceable, fitting me into his various projects, his faith in me was never questioned. He would call me into his office about the most odd subjects, always looking to me for my opinion, maybe because he found I was always honest, even if it wasn't flattering, or maybe because we got such a kick out of one another, a respect that I've never felt with any other human being.

Today has been a long day of reflection, Mr. Mac gave me so much more than a paycheck, I never was able to quite express than over the years, the birthday and holiday cards. I don't regret, but I really wish that when I had moved back to LA that I would have gone over to the house more often, to visit with Amanda and be the big sister she needed, to laugh at Pammy's crazy notions, to thank Mr. Mac for the kindness and faith he gave to me. Had I not answered the call that day in 2000, I wouldn't have gotten my first gig on the road. Had I not called when I moved to LA, I wouldn't have worked in TV. I might never have met Tommy and the job I have today. He gave me Basia and Toni and Emily...and Scott.

I am thankful for many things in my life. I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of Ed's life, even if for a short time. He even called my Gram on her 80th bday, my Grandfather was in on the gag and recorded the entire call. She didn't believe it was him, told him that ANYONE could pull the "Here's Johnny" card. It wasn't until he started talking about me, her Granddaughter, what a lovely young woman and hard worker she was, that Gram bought into it and realized that it was Ed McMahon. A reporter even wrote about it in their little hometown paper.

He was a very kind and good soul, I know that he is in peace, smiling down upon his loved ones. He was not well for some time, which I knew was painful for him. He wanted to die on his feet, working, doing what he loved.

Thank you for not leaving any "scary" videos in your closet with the unmarked footage. Every day I went to the VCR with loaded arms, I got on my hands and knees and prayed I wouldn't turn on the tv and see something I really didn't want to ;)