Unbiased Reviews by Real People
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Unbiased Reviews by Real People
My Dad's EulogyOct 30, 2005 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line November seems to be a time to remember departed loved ones. I'm thinking of my Dad who passed into his "new life" last year. I share his eulogy with you.
As I approached the podium to speak, I removed the microphone from it's stand and held it high above my head, and began speaking (very softly). After a few seconds, I put the microphone back into it's stand, and began. "Sorry about that…My Dad always made me feel ten feet tall. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place, I can feel His mighty power and His Grace. I can hear the brush of Angels’ wings, I see glory on each face, surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. The fact that each of you are here today, is testimony to the truth my dad taught me as I was growing up, “You give a little love and it comes right back to you.” To continue that, I use a line from the movie “Bugsy Malone”, “You’re gonna be remembered for the things that you say and do.” My dad had a long list of things which he considered *important*, and although his list changed from time to time…three things remained constant at the top of that list: God, family and his art. While attending Mass was always important to my dad, he led by example, and never condemned anyone who didn’t follow his same beliefs. He was open and loving to all people, and saw the good in them. He prayed quietly, never insisting that others do the same, but hoping that his lead would encourage them to do so. Together with my mom, they not only told us about the Power of Prayer, but time after time throughout our lives and their illnesses, they showed us, again by example…by becoming miracles themselves. One time stands out for me to be one of the greatest: My dad’s voice returning, full strength, after nearly a year of not being able to speak at all. My sister called me on the phone and told me that someone wanted to speak with me. I figured it was one of my old buddies from when we were younger, whom I had not seen for quite some time. You can imagine my joy when I heard the words, “Hi Mijo, I got my voice back!!” We spoke for a while and when my sister was back on the line, I asked when it happened. It was almost exactly twenty four hours after a Bishop prayed with me about it that my dad’s voice returned. Art was a large part of his life. I think because he saw beauty in EVERYTHING! My dad’s art was as diverse as he was in life. He worked a lot of different jobs, learning many skills before settling into his career that he eventually retired from with the County of Los Angeles. His art ranged from crayons to working with very sharp instruments in his wood carving. He liked to experiment with different ideas to create new art projects. He so loved his art, yet never took himself too seriously; his sense of humor sometimes came through in his artwork. I’m the proud owner of a “diet spoon” which has a hole in the middle of it; as you can see, I still get plenty of food. ***This is just one example of my father’s wood carving, “The Self Made Man”, I may have to fight my brother, Joe for this one, but hey! Possession is 9/10 of the law. As I said earlier, my dad saw beauty in everything…thereby making it art. Just the other day my sister Teresa bought a statuette, a little old man, artist character that has the words “Old age is a fine art.” My dad grew old gracefully. The role he loved more than any in his life was that of the Patriarch of his family. My mom, Eleanor, my brother Joe, my sisters, Jenny, Rosemarie, Teresa, 18 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and me…are his pride and joy. Just like the Church, we are a family rich in tradition, and my dad told us many stories of family history. We are lucky, that writing was another art to him, and when his voice returned, he started writing journals and making drawings to help tell those stories, just incase his voice would go away again. Jenny could barely keep up with him, and we are so lucky to have *VOLUMES* of books to look through and enjoy my dad’s handiwork. A little over a month ago, he started a new journal, in which he wrote whatever he could think about, to keep his mind active. One day he wrote about how his hands were basically useless, he described their appearance and how his right thumb and index finger were the only things he had any control of, and the pain of his crooked fingers. Yet, when you see pictures of him when he held a pencil or paint brush, and put it to work for him…you can see the JOY on his face. Father Joe mentioned what my dad’s final entry was on Sunday, March 28, 2004…the day before he was taken to the hospital. “I’m not worthy of all the blessings and grace which God has given me.” During the week, the doctor mentioned to my niece Kristina, that her Grandpa might be going home Friday. On Thursday they found some infection and he was moved to a private room, and at 11:10 a.m. Friday, April 2, 2004, my father passed away. After we all said our good-byes, I was asked to write a final entry, for that day in his journal. It came to me quickly, what my father would say---so I wrote: “The doctor said I might go home today, SO I DID!! A note to my family and friends, Heaven is beautiful! I’ll see you when you arrive. Love, Me PS—Take your time” Praying the rosary last night gave a whole new meaning to the words,”Our Father, who art in Heaven” Written by: Michael R. Salazar April 6, 2004 (For my dad) **************************** One of my favorite prayers: “A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z” God knows the words; I’m just giving Him the letters to work with.  |
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