And I want to thank my brothers for being there through this process. The best of our dad, his kindness, his humor, and his love for family and friends lives on in these guys, there is no doubt.
Now, I must admit, this is the last thing my Dad would have wanted. To have had so many of his good friends here to make a fuss over his passing. And I bet if you close your eyes and listen, you can hear him say just that. "Y'all don't need to make a fuss over me."
So let's not fuss or be sad. Let's celebrate his life instead, and let's let his life be an inspiration to us as we leave here today.
Because I really think he figured something out. He figured out what Ralph Waldo Emerson called the secret to life. The secret, Emerson wrote, is to realize that there are a few key points to it all, whether you live in poverty on the obscurest farm, or in the busy happenings of metropolitan life. And these key points just keep reappearing and it is they alone that we must pay attention to. And listen to these, and think of Dad, think of Chip, and think of Pops, because he had these. Emerson said we must "escape from all false ties." We must have the "courage to be what we are;" and must love what is simple and beautiful; we must be independent and of cheerful relation, "these are the essentials - these, and the wish to serve, to add somewhat to the well being of men."
Dad did all of these. He had them down. He surrounded himself with true, genuine friends, and he was free from all false ties. He had the courage to be who he was, and he was independent, fiercely independent some might say. And what I think he had down best was to be of cheerful relation. In these days after Dad's passing I've heard from so many friends I haven't heard from in awhile, and they all said they remembered Dad's smile. He was, and will always be, the best joke and story teller there is. And the wish to serve, to add to the well being of man, he did that. He always did that. If you knew him, you can easily think of the things he did for you or for the larger community.
So my challenge to you all is to be inspired by that, and to live out these principles in your own life. Have courage. Be of cheerful relation. And add to the well being of man.
Of course, I never knew dad to be a big Ralph Waldo Emerson fan. But Emerson's call to love what is simple and beautiful reminds me of Dad's great love for the beach. It was more than just love; it was a part of him, and that's why his ashes will find their final resting place somewhere along North Carolina's Crystal Coast. So if you asked Dad what the secret to it all is, how to live boldly and successfully, he would very likely quote a line from some beach music song. Those songs constitute a large part of the soundtrack of my youth.
I gave you Ralph Waldo Emerson. But Dad would probably give you The Tams, and I have to say I really like his better.
So here you go. Be Young. Be Foolish. And Be Happy.