This week I had the honor to attend the funeral of my best friend’s brother, Dave Lamb. He was 36 and was taken way too early after losing his battle with leukemia. There are so many thoughts that run through your mind as you sit through the eulogy of family and friends with mourning and celebration going hand in hand.

Dave was a man who lived his passion. It was so evident in all who shared and who I had the pleasure of meeting – Dave impacted everyone around him. His passion was his music. His music gave him a platform and with that platform Dave was able to reach and touch so many with his music and his soul. 
As these types of events always do, it got me thinking. Thinking about passion. Thinking about living that passion. Many talk about doing work that you love so it doesn’t really feel like work. But as I think about Dave, I remember back to the amazing amount of work his passion took. He toiled to get himself and his music out there. He drove more miles than I probably ever will. He would drive into town, set up his equipment, play for hours, generously give to fans, then tear down and pack up and drive (sometimes that night) to his next gig and do it all over again. And then do that all over again. And again.

Dave Lamb Music StudioDave was just starting to really find success with his band Brown Bird (a duo band with the love of his life MorganEve). Yet the work was still going. Even though his treatments kept him from leaving his house, he kept working to write new music and grow. Sitting in his music studio (aka the other room in his loft apartment) you could feel the sweat and tears that went into his life and music.

I can look back at various times in my life where I just didn’t want to do the work and so gave up or moved on to something else. Maybe I lacked passion, maybe it was the wrong gig. Whatever the reason, I failed to just keep working. The reality of the world at least that I live in is that if I want to truly achieve my goals, it’s going to take a massive amount of work. But if Dave has taught me anything, it’s that hard work does pay off.

Dave Lamb microphoneWork takes passion, yes. But at the end of the day, it’s still work. It takes effort and grit and perseverance and toil. Dave lived that to the very end and his lesson will be forever carried with me.

[Update]
Here’s some great articles posted about Dave Lamb and the celebration surrounding his life:

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