I met him long before I knew him
His smiling face a beacon in any crowd
Then bit by bit I got to know him
— or as much as he allowed
My first impression was of his size
a big man in every way
and then his gleaming, laughing eyes
bright as a child at play.
And then there was his camera
He never seemed to be without
Capturing images of what he witnessed
And sharing them --- that’s what he was about.
Then I heard him joining in the chorus
His voice a deep and pleasant tone
And suddenly he started singing solo
He took the plunge to perform alone.
Strumming on his guitar and singing
Encouraging his friends to sing along.
Each with our special favourites.
Mine was his countryside song.
Along the way I got to know him
In many a rambling conversation
At first about our tastes in music
Then exchanging tit-bits of information.
Of his pride in his son’s achievements
With an artist’s palette and fine brush
And of his pride in his daily occupation
Giving his own big brush a push.
But a common thread in all our musings
Was his faith and his firm belief
It was for him a daily life-line
A source of joy and inner peace.
In all the years that I knew him
I was always learning little facts
Of his life and of his story
And of his many Christian acts.
And that makes me sure that Eddy
Would do something that I never can.
He would pray for the soul of his murderer
Because Eddy was that sort of man.
Author notes
A very good friend was murdered last month.
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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Sorry for your loss, that was a beautiful ode to a faithful friend. He was lucky to have you.
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Thanks for reading and writing though I think you have it backward. We who knew him were lucky to have a friend like Eddy. Not many roadsweepers would have a funeral with queues outside the church hall!
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Sounds like Eddy was a good Christian man, and would have been someone I would have enjoyed knowing. I am sorry you lost your friend, and I thank you for sharing his life story with us. I found it to be very meaningful, and a joy to read.
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Thanks for reading and writing Ron. Your input is much apprciated.
Jim
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A good Christian for sure
It would be hard to measure up to one like this friend of yours. Truely a wonderful man.
Jim
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He was Jim and he will be sadly missed. Murdered by (apparently) his son.
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