An Inspirational Life

Today I attended the funeral of my friend’s father.  Becca and I have never been super close but any time I’ve spent with her I’ve fully enjoyed, so when I heard her father had passed away, I made a point to attend the service.  The tears started flowing as pictures of Ralph Preston and his family flashed across the screen at the front of the church.  You could almost feel the love that this man had for his wife, his children, his grandchildren; and vice versa.  Merely 60 years of age, cancer had pulled this beloved man from the arms of his loved ones.  I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the room asking… why?!

As the children spoke about their father and loved ones rose to share memories, I was overcome with love and admiration for a man I had never met.  In some way or another, Ralph had touched every life in that room (and there were hundreds of us); whether it was directly (by opening up his home when a family was moving into town, providing his vehicle to someone who needed a lift, sharing his skills by fixing something that someone else had broken, or by offering a shoulder to lean on and a listening ear to someone in need) or indirectly (by raising amazingly independent and loving children who had impacted people like me).  He was called a practical man and one who always put the needs of others before himself.  Again and again they spoke of his deep faith and his unending love. 

I left the service today with my head held high.  Yes, I cried quite a bit; but mostly I was inspired.  Here was a man who spent his 60 years touching the lives of others – whether through prayer, a kind word, or a thoughtful deed.  Ralph Preston, I never knew you but you make me want to be a better person.  You make me want to not only hold my loved ones a little closer and tell them I love them more frequently; but to also reach out in a more intentional way to impact the lives of my friends, neighbors, and strangers walking down the street.  I plan on keeping your photo (the one on the cover of today’s program) in order to remind to me to emulate you and your love every single day.  Thank you for living your life in such an amazing way!