Yea, Tho I Walk Thru The Valley Of Death
My Buddy Gopher is gettin short-term now and I thank it is time to recognize that the miracle just aint gonna happen for him.. Or, I should say us, cause the loss is most definetely ours..
His contributions to humanity and society are great and his inspiriration for others to do great also are remarkable.. Ones greatness can not only be defined by what we do, but also by what good we inspire others to do..
I've heard for many years, and also said myself that "God loves a fisherman" .. I have a feelin that St. Peter is just gonna have to wait his turn, cause God Himself is gonna be there to greet Gopher when he arrives at the Pearly gates..
At this time I wish that if you have it in your heart to give Well Wishes to a fella that gave his best to this Country in time of War and to this Country in time of peace and to his fellow man to make it as Free and Prosperous as he could, then leave him a comment and I will pass it on to him and his family..
UPDATE:
I've compiled all the responses that ya'll left and sent them on to Gopher and his family.. My thanks to all who took the time to leave comments for him..
It sounds like he is fadin, and that always leaves an empty spot in a family member, and maybe your words will help fill the void in em and replace it with the pride that comes from Well Wishes and caring..
His contributions to humanity and society are great and his inspiriration for others to do great also are remarkable.. Ones greatness can not only be defined by what we do, but also by what good we inspire others to do..
I've heard for many years, and also said myself that "God loves a fisherman" .. I have a feelin that St. Peter is just gonna have to wait his turn, cause God Himself is gonna be there to greet Gopher when he arrives at the Pearly gates..
At this time I wish that if you have it in your heart to give Well Wishes to a fella that gave his best to this Country in time of War and to this Country in time of peace and to his fellow man to make it as Free and Prosperous as he could, then leave him a comment and I will pass it on to him and his family..
UPDATE:
I've compiled all the responses that ya'll left and sent them on to Gopher and his family.. My thanks to all who took the time to leave comments for him..
It sounds like he is fadin, and that always leaves an empty spot in a family member, and maybe your words will help fill the void in em and replace it with the pride that comes from Well Wishes and caring..
posted by Wild Bill at 4:34 PM
21 Comments:
Thank you for your service to our country.
May God bless you and send His angels to take you home to Him, and may He bless and comfort your family, and keep them in His care until you are all together again on that Wonderful Day.
Where do we find such men as this? Men who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of this great Nation?
May the Lord bless and keep you in the sure knowledge of everlasting life, and may you dwell in the house of the Lord forever!
Tom Ford, USN
1960-68 (ret.)
Gopher: We only know you through the words of your good friend Wild Bill. Yet his words were enough to convey that a good man has walked this earth, a man brave enough to serve his country, a man whose character is such that those who met him feel they were blessed to have had him in their lives. It has been an honor to read of you, to get to know you through WB's words. My prayers to you and your family. God bless you all.
He's touched so many hearts through so many Yahoo groups. It's such a warm feeling to know how many people love this wonderful man. And if only we could take away his pain and his family's pain, as well as ours at losing him. hugs, Sherry
Hey Gopher,
You don't know me, but I wish that I knew you. You are loved by Wild Bill and that is more than enough for me to wish you peace and comfort.
Life is always too short but those like you that have given of yourself to your friends, family and your Republic can feel pride and satisfaction.
I know God in his Wisdom has plans for you and those plans are known only to him as they should be.
"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Papa Ray
West Texas
USA
Thanks Gopher for your service in a tough war. God Bless you.
God bless you sir, and thank you!
Sunshine had trouble gettin hers in here, so I'll post it for her..
Dear Hero,
Thank you for your service to our country and for my freedom. I wish I could meet you to give you a great big hug and let you know how grateful I am for you and all you have done for our country. Because of Veterans like you I have my freedom. I love you .
Love,
Marnie
Thank you Sunshine and all the rest of you too..
But Tom, we dont find them.. Men of his caliber always find us !! And I thank the Good Lord for that.. Anymore, men like Gopher leave some mighty big shoes to fill, and nobody is willin to fill em.. Nobody is willin to rise to the challenge..
For us to honor those like Gopher that rose to the occasion and proudly served and carried their scars with dignity, even thru the pain, is somethin that needs to be done so that those that try to poke sticks at us never will really know the pride and patriotism that lives inside us.. We MUST remind others, that to be held in a place of Honor you first have to earn it.. But after you earn it, it must be upheld..
Folks, thank you very much for takin the time to uphold the Honor for my dear friend Gopher..
Gopher, thanks you very much for your service to our country. I didn't serve in Korea during the war, but I served there a few short years after it, so you and I might have walked some of the same trails only on different days. God Bless you Buddy!
I pray that I may live to fish
Until my dying day,
And when it comes to my last cast,
I then most humbly pray
When in the Lord's great landing net
And peacefully asleep
That in his mercy I be judge
Good enough to keep.
..until we join you..tight lines..
Please tell your friend thanks for his service for all Americans.
May God bless him and keep him.
mary
Your service and sacrifice to this country will not be forgotten. The legacy you leave with those with whom you shared your love of fishing will continue as they pass this gift to others. In this way, you will always continue. May God grant you peace and safe passage thru the gates of heaven as He welcomes home another hero.
God Bless...
Peace upon you Gopher. Thank you for you service and sacrifice.
Please consider this a hearty handshake and farewell from a fellow American. Not a Christian but am praying for you anyway but the truth is, I hope I still can meet you in that wonderful place the Bible tells of.
Another stranger here, Gopher, but I rise to honor a man who fought for his country and his family. I give you blessings from my roots:
Irish... May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows you're gone.
Scottish... May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Cherokee... May the warm winds of Heaven blow softly on your home, and the Great Spirit bless all who enter there. May your moccasins make happy tracks in many snows and may the rainbow always touch your shoulder.
In this hour, sir, remember your roots... your family... your country stand with you as you stood with us.
God Bless you and thank you for your service to our country and mankind. Be at peace and know that you are loved here.
God grant us the serenity to accept the things we can't change and the wisdom to know the difference.
Thank you for your service and may God strengthen you and your family in this time of need.
emtenztr
Texas
Thank you for your service to our country.
May God bless you and guide you on your next journey.
Dear Gopher,
Thank you for your service to our country. It takes an exemplary person to voluntarily wear the uniform of his country, especially in time of war. That is a debt that is never repaid.
And thank you for enriching the lives you surely have touched with your acts of kindness towards those whose paths you have crossed along this way.
Know without any doubt whatsoever that there are many who know you, love you and will carry you in their hearts forever.
May God grant you peace of mind and give your family strength.
Big Hug and a soft kiss from Texas Gal
Do Not Weep
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle Autumn rain
When you wake in the morning's hush
I am the swift upflinging rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight
I am the soft star that shines at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die
Gopher...what a precious life you have lived (and of course to my way of thinking---will continue to live---as there really is no end)
I join many in these words to honor and respect you. Our wonderful country is what it is today because men of yer caliber stepped up with intention and integrity. As Wild Bill states there will be a void tht will be hard to accept.
Watch over us from yer vantage point and let the veil between our separation thin tht we may still be influenced and guided by the love you have held for your fellow man (especially children).
God bless and keep.
For Gophers family I leave these words.
I cannot read (or type) this without tears wellin as it is such a sentiment of hope and continuation.
The pain of separation is great and would that I could take some of tht from you.....
This poem is one tht puts death in the proper perspective. I find it comforting and a great visual.
I present it to you in honor of your loved one.
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. He is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch him until at length he hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says "There he is gone!"
"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all. He is just as large in mast and hull and spar as he was when he left my side and he is just as able to bear his load of living freight to his destined port.
His diminished size is in me, not in him. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There he is gone!" there are other eyes watch him coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here he comes!"
And that is dying.
Henry Van Dyke
Oh, sorry. In my haste to post, a coupla errors.
"spreads HIS white sails"
"other eyes WATCHING him coming"
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