The evolution of social media has
changed the world for all of us. In some
ways, it is better and in some ways it is worse. I have traveled a lot in the last 7 years
and the aspect of social media that I have appreciated the most is keeping up with
what really matters in life, such as family.
Although people are often focused on how awesome I am, they forget that
I come from a very humble background. I
was raised to respect others, love family, and be grateful for everything. I can promise you, those values still hold
true with me today. As I have watched so
many of you go through the challenge of losing people you love, my heart goes
out to you. The pain of losing someone
is only helped by the hope and faith of being able to see them again one day.
The lives of everyone around me
changed on September 13th, 2000.
We were certainly sad, exhausted and relieved at the same time. When I think about my father’s last day on
Earth, I often think about 2 Timothy 4:7
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the
faith.” He had rough days when he did
not feel good, he had regrets that he was not going to be around in the years
to come, and I’m sure he worried about not being here for his family. But one of the greatest attributes I will
remember about Deddy is that he simply accepted his fate and made every effort
to maintain a positive attitude until the very end. He was not mad at God, he did not feel like
he had been dealt a worse hand than anyone else, and he did not feel sorry for
himself.
I believe that because of how Deddy
handled his demise, we only remember the good things about him and the times we
spent together. Sure, he had a lot of
challenges during his last year, but he was also blessed to actually be walking
around until the day before he passed away.
We reminisce about playing baseball during the summers, watching
ballgames together, hanging out with his brothers on the weekend around the
house, his voice of reason and calmness during the storms of life, his devotion
to his mother and father, his love for Mama, and his one-liners when he was
only being honest and not trying to be funny.
Uncle Boyd said they were talking
one day and he made the comment that he regretted he never would get
to see his grandchildren. Uncle Boyd
asked him if it might be more difficult if his grandchildren were already
here. Deddy thought about it for a
minute and told Uncle Boyd that he had a point.
Travis and his family live in the house that we grew up in. There have been several strange things to
happen while they have lived there. A
while back, Brooklyn (his 2 year old little girl) hit Colt and although it did
not really hurt him, Travis scolded her.
She was put in “Timeout.” Travis
said she was crying like he was beating her with a stick. In a few minutes, the house phone rang and
the number calling was 499-9750. Travis
answered the phone and nobody was on the other end. Then he called the number back only to get a
recording that the number had been disconnected. The significance of that story is that
499-9750 was Deddy’s business number for probably 30 years. I told Travis that he may want to think
before making Brooklyn cry again. There
have also been several times when Brooklyn seems to be smiling and waving at
someone when there is nobody there. I
can’t help but think that maybe Deddy is watching his grandchildren after all.
I have often wondered if and what
people that have passed away can see. I
like to think that they can see the good things but are shielded from the
terrible things in this world. I hope
that Deddy can see his grandchildren. I
hope that he can see us coaching Colt’s teams as he grows up. I hope he knows that I have tried to follow
in his footsteps although I realize that I will never be as good of a man as he
was. I also hope the next time Travis
gives a “Timeout” that Deddy appears and says….”Travis, what do you think you are
doing!?” I hope that he can see us
golfing with Uncle Boyd on Sundays. I hope that he can see Travis and me taking
Mama shopping at Christmas but I hope he cannot hear my yearly meltdown that
they always provoke me to have. I just
hope that he can see the good times.
Because as the years continue to go by, he is missed more than he will
ever know. One of the most important lessons I
ever learned from my Father was taught by example. In this life, nothing you do or achieve
really matters unless you have honor.
And that is the creed that I live by.