GREAT QUESTION.

Our dad had three requests:

Don't bury me until you're ready.

Always make sure people know how loved they are.

Always choose joy and kindness.

Well, Dad... it took us a minute. Five years, actually, but who's counting? Not Lettie. She's bad at math. Ask Sean. He has a degree in cow farms and money or something.

But we're ready.

On what would have been his 69th birthday (Yes, 69. Please behave yourselves. Dad certainly wouldn't have. 😂), we're finally laying him to rest. And afterward, we're doing exactly what he asked us to do:

Choosing joy.

We're going to Come Together, look on the Bright Side of the Road, eat entirely too much spaghetti, laugh until somebody snorts, and raise money for an organization that means a whole lot to our family.

There may be a little Bohemian Rhapsody. There will almost certainly be somebody yelling Don't Stop Me Now. And if things get a little weird along the way, well...People Are Strange.

Have you met the Cronins?

Underneath all the ridiculousness, though, there's a very real purpose behind this night.

Dad believed that people should know how deeply they're loved while they're still here to feel it. He believed kindness mattered. He believed in choosing joy, even when life gave you every reason not to.

So we're taking a day that could have been defined entirely by grief and turning it into an opportunity to laugh, love people, and do some good.

Together, we're raising money for A Piece to Our Puzzle, an organization incredibly near and dear to our family that supports individuals with developmental disabilities and the people who love and care for them.

And as Billy Joel warned us, Only the Good Die Young.

Apparently, the good also leave behind two children who cope with inappropriate amounts of humor, bring bugs to church, invite comedians, serve spaghetti, and turn their father's 69th birthday into a fundraiser.

And yes, there will be cowbell.

Because if there's one thing this family learned from Dad, it's that when life gets difficult, sometimes there's only one prescription:

More cowbell.

We think Dad would approve.

Actually, scratch that.

We know Dad would be asking why there isn't MORE cowbell.

So come laugh. Come remember. Come give back.

Laugh. Remember. Give Back. 💛