dabo man said:
I'm with you on this. The email I wrote has no mention of Tanya's passing. I'm not willing to "use it" like that. I also already had a lot to say. I wanted my email to be as short as possible. Bringing up Tanya would have added a fourth paragraph to a three paragraph email.
When you think he's ready, have him read Malcolm Gladwell's
David and Goliath. There is a chapter where he talks about children who lost a parent while young, and how it led them to be uncommonly successful. Experiencing the worst the world could offer removed their fear of failure, and allowed them to dare greatly, and achieve greatly.