Yesterday, meaning Independence Day, the fourth of July. You know, it
was a great time, but for me, my mind goes elsewhere because coming
up on Sunday, July seventh, it will be the one year anniversary of
when I lost my father. That's probably one of the darkest days in my
life and it's hard to talk about still to this day. And I wanted
to put out something for this edition of Morning Coffee, something to honor him,
and I was thinking what could I do at his funeral. I was
blessed to be able to give his eulogy. It was hard. It was
not something that was easy for me to do, as you can imagine,
and my cousin, Christopher Wilkerson, he videoed the eulogy. I have to
this day still not gone back and watched it, but I thought that that
might be a fitting tribute to share in honor of my father. So I'm
going to play that for you. And I apologize in advance that the audio
may or may not be the greatest on this one, but I think you'll
hear the words. I think it'll be plenty good enough. And this will
be the first time I've actually sat down and listened to it myself since he
captured it. So I'm going to play this and share with the world what
my dad meant to me or obviously because of back home to loss that you
lost my dad Jumia day Spiritaecham. He was at NSNES, my brother,
Trayon, my sister. Now, I don't know for me as a child,
there's a no bigger Hebro team. You mean your father. I'm sure
you might love Fat Man and Spider Man or Superman. The dad a big
fall. He was stronger than them, ougher than that, simply cause he
was Dad. At some WoT we get older, you wanted them as falls
as much as he your eyes. That never we also sometimes feel disappointment.
Couldn't be because he had to work or provide something else worse. But at
the time I couldn't see up Lad missed a big game or something like that.
But it was always because he was working. He made sacrifices that we
didn't see, We couldn't possibly understand half the time, the sac the superhero
label starts to famous. You get older, let her phone. Then when
you end up at me, now you've seeing him drop everything to be at
your side. You see him making the sacrifices that you didn't notice before,
sacrifices to his wants and needs, all because you needed a hebrow of that
moment. It is in these moments that you realize that even though he isn't
superhuman, he is very much stealed a hero. You are, you your
protector, one of the only two people, along with your mother in the
world, that you know will never stuff everything to protect you, to be
there for you, to love you. My dad, Jimmy Davis, as
his sister is always recalled Young or JD as many of his friends in this
room today call him. He was very much that person, whether it was
to call me when I was hurt of'em you don't wanna told him not
to, just to try to give you a few words and encourage, or
like when both my brother and my sister failed himself and one of life's meeting
a crossroads, he figured out how to help them, even if they been
packing up, moving two states up them. He loved his grandkids early and
he always wanted to be there for them. When my brother got married into
married he accepted her kids, and not as that grandkids, but simply as
a grandchildren. He had others in this room, and that he considered adopteds
like Michael Awards, considered you a son, and there's so many others that
I may not realize to have, but considered that. That's who he was.
That's what a father's love is truly about. He leaves us with that
last I've always been when to drop everything and my friend calls, he says
he needs help. I got that for me. My brother and sister they
got back from me. One of the things about Jamie Hings is all hard
m You never met a stranger. Once he left you, you have a
friend for life. The last time I saw that he was on his way
to Colorado, go off of one last adventure with his money. He stopped
in Ellisville, had a bunch of hoards. Dad wanted to get a room
here in a frosty row. He loved the friars, one of his favorite
things. Whe's there that day worts machine was not free from the lugs properly,
but he stilled to join the river. Here became a law apartment,
and he loved all the sports of germaphilia that I had had. It's a
great memory. It was one at the time that I had no clue that'd
be the last time I remember saw. But I'm happy for that cause he
was full of life. He was so anxited. Uh went off on that
trip with you maybe so looking forward to it big an episode. Happy you
got to go off with you on that adventure. The fact that he got
to go on to one last adventure before he was calling home, it's amazing.
Gravely you miss repeated before. Thinking that happen makes me think of a
d before all that. Jack London, It's the proper function of a man
is to live, not to exist. I shall not base my dad,
he's trying to prolong them. I shall be used my time, Dad,
you shartainly used your time and we will see you. Yeah. I know
when you were a Christian, I know you were saying and I appreciate it
or locals either from the story you shared as well. Know when you grows,
it's your father's the first touch and told you it was okay to living
from then it was Tom. I'm sure your mom's right by side. He
leaves behind my mother Jeavy, his wife for fifty five years, a brother,
Tray, my sister, Christian, his three sisters. Very soon Jane
Peggy, his sister John is a grandchild, Sarah reback up, Claire Cooler,
Richard and Jim, and of course several cousins and all of you in
this room that he loved her. As children grow older, they realize their
dad is super They realize he isn't perfect they all, but we also realized
that he didn't need to be to be more human, cause he's still the
hero you need. He's the hero that steps up in your morse. He's
that he grow because he's Dad. Yes, we're all. If you're here
today, it's because he touched your life in some way, so your heart
to right their ways. But I know you see him again. You wo
is the nialmotion? Tell me is okay? Believe that that's not there's comfort
nor Dad. It's good enough Da, till we meet again. It will
be for everyone. I love you. I'm always miss you. Yeah,
I had not watched or heard that sense. And I thank the Lord for
the strength to get through that one and this Sunday, one year ago,
you will have left us, but you're still here in our heart. Still
love you, Dad, Still moving forward like you'd want me to. And
I know you're watching down and I thank you for everything. This has been
morning coffee with the right side. I'm your host, Jack Fairchilts and Where
a part of the Midnight Ride Network