Day 20 - Goodbyes

Day 20 - The picture above isn't one I took. It was taken and sent to me by a close friend and family member.  I didn't get to see this picture from this perspective, I was at the other side of the truck as the friends and brothers of my father hoisted his casket on top of the fire truck to give him his ceremonial last ride.  The honor given to my dad by his fellow firefighters during his last hours on this earth and during his funeral was wonderful.  As we stood next to his casket during the visitation having the honor guard there was very touching.  The men who were willing to stand next to Dad as we said our goodbyes were wonderful.  At the funeral they honored him by gathering at his casket and saluting him, and a few spoke about him at the funeral.  After the funeral they gave him his last ride, which consisted of putting his casket on top of the firetruck and driving past his house where they sounded the sirens and horns and then going on to the firehouse and dispatching him out for the final time.  The final statement was  "Job well done faithful servant - we will take it from here"

The lifelong bonds that were formed between Dad and his fellow firefighters is something that I could never have understood before this past week.  Stories filled with laughter and respect for a man that I always knew was proud to be a fireman, but didn't quite understand the meaning of it all before.
As we said goodbye during the funeral - a couple of his dear friends spoke of him, the Danville Fire Chaplin gave a wonderful service, My daughter Jill, my nieces Morgan and Hadleigh gave eulogies and my Godson and Dad's namesake Rex closed with The Fireman's Prayer.  I gave a eulogy that I have printed below.  There are not enough words to express what my dad meant to me and how much I loved and will miss him, but I tried to sum it up in a few words.  At the funeral I made them let me speak first, not because I thought my words were more important than anyone else's, but because I knew if I were going to be able to make it through without breaking down I would have to go before the others spoke.

As I end this day's post I say to my dad - Job well done faithful father - we will take it from here.

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Who was Rex Goodwin? To some he was a great friend, to others he was that guy that always told the jokes, sometimes inappropriate ones. He was a Veteran, a fireman, a cowboy, a truck driver, an ambulance driver, a bull rider, a son, a husband, a grandfather, a great grandfather, an uncle, I could go on and on, but to me the most important was that he was an awesome Dad.

Growing up, we only got to see him mostly on holidays and through the summer months.  Yeah, this meant he missed some moments in our lives, but it also meant that we always got fun dad.  He laughed when we did things that maybe we shouldn't, he let us drive way before we were old enough, we never had a bedtime when he was in charge, it was usually fun and games when he was around.  He never spanked us and only raised his voice on very few occasions.  He was never the disciplinarian, that was Mom and Kathy's job. When we were younger and dad was working the rodeo through the summer, I felt big and bad because I was Rex's kid, and that held some clout.

As I grew up I could always count on him to cheer me up, and to have my back. I knew he would be there for the important times in my life if there was any way he could. I knew I could count on him for a joke, a smile and a hug.

As we say goodbye for the final time today I know he is still with each of us in our hearts and we all have those special memories. Some I have been lucky enough to hear, and others I hope to hear in the future.  So when you think of Rex, do so with a smile because he wouldn't want it any other way.

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Death is a part of life.  We can only hope that our time in this world we touch a lot of lives, make the world a better place and spend as much quality time with those we love as we can.  I believe our lives here are a means to prepare us for the better things yet to come.  I have to believe that those we love and have passed on will be there when we pass.  We all grieve differently, I was told by my doctor when my mom passed, "Don't let anyone tell you how to grieve or how long to grieve".  He let me know that it is different for everyone.  If you are going through anything difficult in your life.  Lean on your friends and family, because I have found that I am blessed with some of the best ones around and I can't thank them enough for all their loving support!