But in the last two weeks I have wondered if the folks who sent in their article had to think about it long and hard before they chose their most unforgettable character. Perhaps they pondered it over in their mind, finally coming up with interesting stories and anecdotes.
Well, if anyone should ever ask who my most unforgettable character is, the answer would come quickly and sincerely. I don’t have to sit and conjure up funny stories to hold your attention, for his voice is forever with me, and my memory is long...very long.
My most unforgettable character was not well known, as far as worldly recognition goes. Barbara Walters wouldn’t think to mention his name on her yearly broadcast of The Year’s 10 Most Fascinating People and Larry King never called him for an interview.
He never sang for the President or preached in a cathedral. He never made the Forbes 400 list of wealthy men in America. As a matter of fact, if he had a dollar in his pocket, he would spend it on you or me.
It was said at his passing that “he was the most under appreciated man” they had ever known. I believe that is true, but it was mainly because he wasn’t seeking appreciation or accolades. He was just being himself…a gentle giant, full of laughter and love.
A friend of his said that he “pushed others to the front of the line when he should have been the one leading the way.” It was because he wasn’t interested in applause for service well done or titles and positions of honor. His joy was in seeing others climb to the top. He chose to influence by standing in the background, mentoring in quietness and humility.
He served so discreetly, the right hand never really knew what the left hand was doing.
And though not a flashy dude, when he walked…let me rephrase, when he burst into a room, he had our undivided attention. He made everyone feel at home in his presence, and never discriminated…he would tease children and seniors, laity and bishops. No one was off limits, yet he always showed the utmost respect.
He was forever touching somebody, and his hugs were lethal. He would sit down beside me and kinda lean over, with his big hairy arms smothering me…I’d say, “Boy get off of me…you are so hot!!” But he didn’t care, and he would keep on hugging and laughing.
One of a kind…that was my brother, David.
In the past few days, I have tried to find the words to describe who he was. Please forgive a loving sister for viewing him through 'Rose colored glasses'…
Peacemaker… He longed for peace at every level of his life. David couldn’t stand turmoil and strife.
Servant… He learned the gift of serving from our parents, but David took it to the extreme. He would give when he did not have it to give. Though tired from working two, and sometimes three jobs, He continued to work at the church and in prison ministry because it was his passion.
Loyal… David stood shoulder to shoulder with his pastor, even when it was unpopular to do so, and he loved the pastor’s family as his own.
Funnyman… His humor would surface it the oddest moments, but it would always be when it was needed most…
For example, when our nephew, John, passed, David broke the grief stricken silence with a corny joke. It relieved the tension, if only for a moment, and that, of course, was his goal.
Another time, as we stood by the grave of two dear friends, a teenaged David was asked how he was doing. David’s reply to the elder was, “I’m okay…I’m just looking for a church to take over!”
As an alternate juror, David wasn’t allowed an opinion…until they asked for one. He entertained a room full of jurors, so much so that the Bailiff came to the door to see what the noise was all about. After they rendered their verdict, the jurors asked the judge if they could have a reunion…several of them did meet later for dinner.
David held the attention of young men waiting for ministerial license so well, that when his older brother said they had to leave and get on the road, the preachers said, “You can go, but leave him here with us!”
At his home going service, someone told me how she always asked to work with David at the polls on election day…polling can be so boring, but not when one worked with my brother. This past election, when his ‘dance card’ was full, the woman told her husband that she would not volunteer without working with David.
Unforgettable, in every way…
Husband and father…He loved his wife and children very much. Kingdom work is a delicate thing, and family life equally as delicate. Finding the balance between the two is tricky, and not always attained. In hindsight, I’m not sure if he ever found that place of perfect balance, but I know he tried…in his own way, I believe he tried with all of his heart.
Son… When our dad went in for the diagnosis we all dreaded to hear, David was there. He used up all of his vacation time that year, but spent it at home with his dad. His devotion for our mom never wavered, and I know she would say, “David was a good son!”
Brother… Always available, whatever the need. When dad was in the hospital and I fell on the ice, breaking an ankle, David was here before nightfall. He stayed several days, at my beck and call, and laughed about my ‘demands’ for years afterward…of course, I think he exaggerated just a tad in the retelling. And when our sister in law’s father passed, David drove four hours for a one hour service, then drove back home. He made us laugh and he made us cry…he was uniquely David.
Brother in law… David's sisters in law loved him as a brother, and their grief is as real and heart wrenching as any sibling.
Uncle… His nieces and nephews were all there and wept as though he had been their own father. His love for them was returned 100 fold, and then some.
Everybody’s kin…Oh, my word! David had more brothers and cousins than the Kennedy’s!
But he could not have loved Dan & Tarrah Mundy, Reg & Tammi Nevitt, Luke & TJ St. Clair, Dan Hill, Brian Spooner, America Nevitt, and Shayla Bailey Adams any more than if they had been blood. That was SO David. He just simply loved, and they all loved him!
Pastor… That is what those he ministered to called him, “Pastor!” In 18 + years of teaching and preaching to men confined to prison, David probably saw every thing imaginable and heard stories beyond description. But he loved what he did and he made a difference. There are men, free though behind bars, with many more on the outside, living and preaching the gospel, all because my brother showed them the Way!
And now he is gone…
There is a hole in my heart which can never be filled, but I rest in the assurance that one day, and it can’t be too long now, we will meet again!
Unforgettable in every way
And forever more, that's how you'll stay
And forever more, that's how you'll stay
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