People come and go in your life and most do not make an impression one way or the other. Others try to impact your life and set out to make a difference....people like our teachers, friends and family. Sometimes, if God is smiling at us, we are privileged to get a glimpse of a very different kind of person; humble, unassuming, honest, generous and one who lived by the golden rule. Integrity was his middle name.....This person is Naim Nezaj.
I knew him as Nick....the owner of the Ocean Club Hotel in Cape May, NJ....my home away from home for the past 2 summers. I spent 10 weeks at the hotel in 2012 and spent all my days at the Tiki Bar writing my novel. I repeated the work schedule at the Tiki Bar this summer....banging out the pages as people celebrated summer...around me.
There were constants in my time at the Ocean Club. Nick's extended family was always around doing the various tasks necessary in running the hotel. Friendliness abounded and I felt at home and very happy.
Sadly Nick died in a car accident about 5 weeks ago; a tragic loss to his family and his Cape May community. While writing at the Ocean Club I saw him about 3 times a week. He always said hello and made me feel welcomed, in fact one of the conversations I had with him, I explained that I needed to rent a house for the 2013 summer because I had 4 dogs and could not leave them in a kennel for that length of time. He said simply..."Work it out...you belong here with us. You are part of the hotel family now!"
Those words, along with the kindness, generosity and warmth that I received from he and his family and friends.....changed my life forever. It will always remind me of the goodness in people and to focus on the positive....a beautiful life's lesson. There is no promise of tomorrow.
My heart ached with Nick's loss and that speaks volumes for his impact on my life. I can only imagine the others that he has touched unknowingly....and the loss for his wonderful extended family.
I am glad that I told him how he and his family and the beautiful Ocean Club impacted my life.
I will be back at the hotel soon enough and I know Nick will be over seeing it all from his special place in heaven.
