The Blog Challenge:  Write Your Own Eulogy

here is mine.

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Samuel died at 39 years old.

Born in 1970, to a mixed and mixed-up family full of decent people, Samuel fit in only in an eclectic sense. Ever a black sheep, his journey did take him to some kind souls that understood him, or at least, accepted him.

Samuel’s life was forever altered by an accidental shooting when he was 14 years old. Much was lost that day, in a ripple effect running so deep, there could be no way to see all that was affected by it. Mercifully, just as much as there was terrible pain brought on, that very event shaped Samuel into who he would become- a humble man, one that trusted in God, one that wanted desperately not to hurt other souls.

One that wanted to help.

Samuel forged his way into adulthood, trained by a USMC Drill Sergeant for a stepfather, the insane group of stoners he called friends, and with the generosity of a few young girls who graced his life. His family contributed to him in their own unique ways. At 23, Samuel discovered he was to be a father. Rather than shrink away, Samuel, in his trademark style, had to do it up big, instead. He rose up, to raise his son, and the two boys who became his stepsons. He had another, too, and he always said that raising his boys, his precious sons, was the finest and most important thing he ever did with his life, easily. He was proud of how he fought that good fight, and he knew that it was at least one thing his father was proud of as well.

At 34, Samuel suffered a tough divorce. Having achieved great career success, and making a million dollars in real estate, he stepped into a new life, no longer a boy, but every bit as vulnerable. His 5 year odyssey from there was one of discovery, about what was important in life, and what true love really means. He came to be content in ways he had never known.

This odyssey also included his discovery of his love for writing. Oh, how he loved to write. He opened his veins and poured himself out on his pages, for those who would read. He found his voice, perhaps his calling. The joy he found in sharing it, and touching others’ lives, was something he relished like nothing else. As he wrote, he discovered the very thing he would want to be said, when his life was finished.

Samuel fell in love at 37, with a girl named bonnie. She lent him great inspiration, as she loved him in return. His joy in writing for her even surpassed that of his other works. He undertook the project of writing a love story, for her. True to form, he did it up big, writing a love note that spanned 96,000 words, a work that the whole world could enjoy along with them. As with any love story, theirs was not without difficulty. Even as it ended, he desired that their story go on.

His intent to write the next story sadly cut short, this one testament lives on, published only after his passing. A body of work that was to be so much more, yet, is still fitting, as it is. Samuel would be content, for the moments he had, the breaths he took, and the words he wrote. His love for his baby sons was endless, and remains so.

Samuel wanted those who cared to know that in death he would find relief, as he suffered his share, in the days God gave him. Some might grieve for him, or celebrate for him. In the last goodbye he would receive, Samuel just had one last hope- that there might be a few precious souls looking on that would be able to simply say

“he helped me.”