We will always have JR to love us and show us the way.
The last eleven weeks have been the hardest of my life. I think I am just beginning to experience the hardest part of grief as I am learning to navigate a new normal. On behalf of my family, my team and myself, thank you all so much. Thank you for all your letters and prayers over the last eleven weeks. They mean more to me than you will ever know.
JR is my husband, my best friend, a father to Amber and Amanda, and he will always be his favorite title, Pop Pop, to our three beautiful grandchildren.
I lost more than my husband, more than a best friend. I lost my teacher, my mentor, my coach.
JR was brilliant. His priorities were simple. He loved his family. He loved Market America and all the Market Countries — he loved all of you.
He built a company that only he could. He gave all of himself to all of us while he was here physically on this Earth with us and asked for nothing in return except for love and respect.
He was a visionary who left behind an extraordinary legacy. There is not a second that goes by that I don’t miss him or need him. He was sent here by God to change the lives of thousands – and he did that.
When I was 18 years old, no more than five minutes after I met JR, I wanted to throw caution and logic out the window to be a part of JR’s life and everything he stood for — even at a time when there was nothing to believe in but JR. My intuition already knew that being with JR was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to love deeply, work for a genius and be part of a team that could resurrect the great American dream.
He is a legend. Long after he is gone, he will still be known. Even with him in heaven, his company will continue to change the lives of thousands.
He created a system that arms people with a weapon to change their lives, a system that allows for time and financial freedom. He taught us how to use our revolutionary technology and connect people, all while he inspired them to believe in and achieve the greatest version of themselves. He gave us so many gifts.
JR was special. He believed that the only way to change your life was to help others change theirs. It’s a legacy that will live in us forever.
JR was so many things: genius, silly, passionate, driven, determined and, of course, a visionary. He helped me to see the greatness in myself.
I remember the first time I spoke on a small stage with himwatching. I was terrified! I was 18, and I was terrible — I fainted on the floor — but JR instilled belief in people. He told me I was really good and to keep trying.
As the years passed, I got more confident and better at speaking (he, of course, would always tell me, “You are great.”) And many years later, up until just August of this year, he would tell me how proud of me he was. He would say, “You are the greatest female speaker in the world.” And he would always make me smile and laugh. He gave me belief even when I didn’t believe it myself.
That was JR’s greatest gift, and he did the same for so many others. He helped tens of thousands see greatness in themselves. He helped tens of thousands change their lives.
His legacy is forever around us.
His proudest moments were always with and about you: the UnFranchise Owners who changed their own lives and changed the lives of others simply by doing more than most, never quitting, and believing in themselves.
He spent every day of his life imagining a future that others couldn’t see and worked relentlessly to bring his vision to life. We will be able to achieve even more in the future because of him.
JR, with every thought, every decision, every moment, we are — me and you. I am you; you are me. We will always be one.
Death is no more than us turning over from time to eternity. Death cannot kill what never dies. Our love story will live forever. JR’s spirit lives inside of me — and it lives inside all of us. He will be guiding us and watching what we do next.
So where do we go from here? We can only go up.
It is my absolute commitment to not only survive but to thrive. That is exactly what JR would expect of me — and I will do exactly that. I am going to step up my game and take on the challenge with my team to do more than ever before. Togetherwe share the privilege and responsibility of continuing JR’s work that he loved so much.
I will personally be going out to start showing the Plan again, building again, growing again, and working with you to help youand your teams grow.
We will do more than ever before. That includes turning our attention to the next generation of leaders because there is so much room here to grow! You can do this. You have all the tools you need to change your life and the lives of so many.
This is the greatest business in the world, with unlimited potential. We can earn while helping others earn. We have superior products. And we have you: extraordinary people. It doesn’t exist anywhere else like it does here.
Big dreams live here, as do the genius and passion to make them real. Thanks to JR, we are a rare and beautiful thing. In an age of cynicism, we still believe that the human capacity to solve problems is boundless. And that possibility exists in all of us.
You deserve the best, so we will give you even better than before. You have my word. And remember: I won’t let you down, because I will never let JR down. Not now and not ever.
Even 30 years later, and after what I am going through now, I am more determined and committed than ever to do exactly what he and I planned, to do this in a big way all over again, and I hope you will commit to doing it with me.
There is no better time than right this moment to begin to change your life, to achieve all you have dreamed about and all you have wished for. And as we move into the new future with passion and compassion, more determined than ever, remember this:
You can be anything you want to be.
It doesn’t matter who you used to be. What matters is who you decide to be today.
You are not your mistakes. You are not your past. You are not your wounds or your pain. You are not what others say you are. You get to decide. You can decide differently today and at every moment from here on out. Remember that.
You are offered a new opportunity to decide and act differently in a way that supports you in all that you are capable of being.
You are not less than. You are enough, and you are more than enough. No matter how difficult it gets, never give up. You can achieve all your hopes and dreams right here. I have witnessed it for 30 years. Here anything is possible.
Don’t stop, don’t quit, never give up. Be different than everyone: Leave something worthy. Leave a legacy.
Time moves slowly but passes quickly. Life is a short trip. And it is here to be lived, so live every day as if it is your last. For one day, you are sure to be right.
I know you can do this.
Don’t let a single person stop you from becoming the best version of you that you can be.
Don’t get distracted. Don’t stop. How you do anything is how you do everything. This is your time to win.
Where do you start? Right here and right now.
Give it all you’ve got because the world needs you! On behalf of myself, my family, Marc, and the entire team — Happy Thanksgiving.
I love you. JR loves you.
Keep growing.
We believe in you.
Loren Ridinger
