For all of those who were not able to attend the morning service at the Naval Base chapel, I wanted to post the words that I passed to the audience for Rob and my (and Rob's) good friend Nick. The words that were shared were inspired from conversations that I had been a part of over the previous several days. The opening may look familiar to some. Tupper...thanks for the starting point. That's what got the ball rolling.
Bill Wellman
“Adversity causes some men to break…others to break records.”
I once had a friend that ended every email he ever sent with that quote. Think about that for a minute especially the first part. “Adversity causes SOME men to break”…SOME men. Not these men. Not us.
Ironically, we find two men from two very different walks of life who were so much alike. Alike in strength of heart, alike in depth of character. Genuine people of this caliber are few and because they are so few, we are all drawn to them. Not for some inexplicable reason but because in just meeting them you could understand why people, almost selfishly wanted to be their friend. These men had incredible hearts. In talking to them you knew that they genuinely cared about you. You just knew that these guys would do anything for you…And in turn, people wanted to do anything for them. There was such a level of magnetism and brilliance to these men that we should all be so lucky to encounter the likes of again.
Their love of their job, their pride in service, and their love of their country were only surpassed by their love of those who surround them. Any one that met these men wanted to be friends with them. Anyone who was friends with them wanted to be closer to them. We need to be grateful for the time we were allowed to spend with these men, because it is clear now, that we, were in the presence of angels…now they are needed elsewhere so God has called them home.
Those who knew Nick know, that he had four great loves. His love of flying. Let us find comfort that he was doing what he loved. His love of NASCAR, to the point of memorizing aircraft statistics through relation of his favorite car numbers. His love of Virginia Tech and the hokie bird that he continually tried to explain, despite the resemblance is not a turkey. And his one true great love his wife, Mary Ruth. You were his strength and foundation.
People have said Rob was the definition of cool. That outgoing personality, the cover boy smile, he was the man that other men wanted to be. Those that know, under the suave, laid back exterior was a warm, gentle soul whose compassion for his fellow man was unmatched. At the center of this caring, passionate man lied the one thing he was most passionate about…starting his new life with you Sarah.
Drive…Passion…Devotion. This is how they lived DAY to DAY. Drive to not only succeed, but to excel. Passion for their lives and for their loves. Devotion to their families, friends, purpose and ideals. These men gave us all these lessons to learn and they taught us well.
We will all now move forward with heavy hearts. We all now face adversity the likes of, we have not known. Adversity causes SOME men to break…SOME men. Not these men. Not us.
No comments:
Post a Comment