In going through our tubs in the basement, one of them contained items from my parents. Both my parents are gone. One of the items was a copy of the eulogy from my father’s funeral.
My dad has been gone 18 years this past August. I thought I might share the words with you all today. They speak to his character and his willingness to do the right thing even when it was hard. However, as I reflected on this, I decided against it.
The author of the eulogy was a firefighter who worked at the station where my dad was captain. He’s also no longer with us. And they are his words. So, I can’t ask permission to share from either of them. His words reference working as a black man at my father’s firestation during the integration of the fire department in 1958.
I really don’t think “Bird” would’ve minded. However, I’m not so sure about my father. He was a very private man. After he passed (as well as my mom), we found newspaper clippings of things my dad did, saving people from buildings, etc. that we never knew happened.
He served in WWII and I can only recall him only ever sharing one story about his experience with it. And it was a “lighter” story about a Sergeant yelling at them for making a foxhole too big and then, jumping in it with them when bombs started dropping.
So, I’ve opted not to share the words from my father’s eulogy with you after all. I will, however, end by sharing the bible verse contained within them:
A man that hath friends must show himself friendly. (Proverbs 18:24)
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Day 58/365