Always keep the memory of the past. It helps you to construct the future.

Every wonderful, delightful thrill, experience and emotion life has to offer has been to all the family of yours.

Rather, recall him with a fond smile as the husband, father, grandfather, and friend who shared laughter, tears, and dreams through the years ...

He lived a goodly span of years. Laughed a lot, cried a little . . . seen a thousand sunsets -- played many a game of racing as the dawn broke over the hills, and then on into the big adventure of his life as a husband to your grandmother and a father to your father.

The memories of the years he turn over slowly -- like the pages of a book. There were victories, and he gave life zest. There were defeats, and he made him stronger. Perhaps the greatest adventure of all has been the spiritual search, which really began when you were small.

As a grandson . . . you cradle two lovely daughters in your arms now . . . . . . and then one day welcome into your heart other sons, daughters, and grandchildren. What a blessings he gave to all of you. Cherish the peace and joy you have found, your daughter and a supportive dad beside you and a friend that is always there for you.

In growing up, you raced with many contemporaries and knew the thrill of achieving. Like your grandfather “Jockey Elias”. A second time you knew this thrill in the achievements of your children.

Life was good . . . Think of those happy times: Christmases . . . the nights you slept out under the stars . . . vacations when you traveled to far places . . . camping beside mountain streams . . . the books you read . . . watching an ocean roll and gathering seashells . . .Thanksgiving dinners . . . the pets you loved . . searching for and finding indications of earlier civilizations. . . campfires . . . the ol' swimming holes . . . and most of all, remember the thousands of times you were all together as a family.

No one dies as long as there is one person left in the living world who remembers with fond recall . . . and shares a thought, though that person has gone ahead.

Some day you may be looking thoughtfully at the vast Pacific Ocean, assessing its beauty and changing moods -- you may feel a sudden, warm, soft breeze across your cheek . . . you will know that he is there . . .

Or you might be standing on a mountain top, looking across a sweep of wooded foothills and valleys . . . and if there is a sudden, gentle stirring among the trees . . . feel that he is sharing the moment with you.

A person really never dies while there are those on earth who loved that person . . One is never gone as long as there are those who remember with fondness . . . and as long as memory evokes a wistful smile. All those who have loved, and who have been loved, have earned a piece of immortality . . .