Today, May 26, 2021, Loren would be 61 years old. Taken too soon, Loren often reminded me that there's always an "up side".

Whether you rode an elevator with Loren for 90 seconds or had an hour long conversation with him on the phone, Loren had a way of making you feel like the most important person on the planet for those 90 seconds or that hour long call.

Loren came into my life in 2015 and I could not be more thankful for his friendship. I'm 10X the man I was for knowing him.

He was caring, giving, and charitable. Charitable with both his time and money. Donating to many causes, passionate about veteran causes, giving his time to programs like Missions of Mercy and various other volunteer programs. He served the dental world selflessly through his teaching and his time in the political action committees and boards he served. A resume so long, many would ask, did he have 25 hours in the day?

He gave unto others far more than he did for himself. That is incredibly evident in the stories you can hear told about him in the wake of his passing. After Loren passed, I went on a search in my mourning... it was on Loren's own Facebook Timeline from three years prior that I found a post...

It says, "It's foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived" - General George S. Patton

The "up side" is that we have an opportunity to honor Loren. Aside from the event held in his memory, we can and should make our best efforts to be more like him.

Volunteer, be selfless, giving, caring, and learn how to make others better as a result of our friendship. It's no easy feat, but an effort to make progress is the least we can do.

Now... Not everyone knew Loren. In fact, most who read this will only recognize his name from the memorial event named after him. Some may have interacted with him in the Cobalt Boats Facebook group, seen his name in a dental article, etc..

But, that's okay... I'm willing to bet that although you may not have known Loren, there is a Loren in your life.

I implore you to seek time with those individuals now. Learn from them, ask them questions, and tell them how thankful you are for their friendship. You never know when their day will come. Make the minutes count.

- Andrew