Life of Brian     Brian R. Campbell

 First before I begin I must thank everyone that came today.  Last night I knew there was going to be a lot of people at the visitation but I never expected to see the amount of people I actually saw.  I was blown away and I know my dad was honored to have so many people come visit him last night.  He touched so many people, and I have never heard so many people say, “He was my best friend”.  So before I dive into this talk I must thank everyone who came last night and who is here now, everyone who has helped my mother and sister through this hard time, all of my friends and my sister’s friends, and the Men’s choir because I know if my father was here he would not want it any other way. 

             I sat up late on Thursday night, at about one in the morning trying to figure out what I wanted to say on behalf of my father.  I realized my issue lied in not so much on what I wanted to say but more on the fact that I did not want to leave anything out.  But then I realized I do not need to sit up here and talk about all the good things my father has done because everyone here already knows that.  I am not going to stand here today and grieve and talk about how much I miss him, because don’t get me wrong I miss my father with all my heart, but if he was here right now he would want me to be positive and give this talk with an optimistic tone. 

          As most of you know, my dad and I were brought together in many ways, but one of the most important things between us was baseball.  As I stood there last night talking to the hundreds of people who came to visit my father, more than half of the people had some type of story to tell me about my dad and I involving baseball, so I feel that this speech needs to begin with baseball.  I stand here with eight pebbles in my hand.  My father started to coach me beginning in the second grade.  He was always the third base coach, and everyone knew that third baseline was his.  Starting then, and this was the case all through high school, is my dad would pick up some pebbles of the ground.  He would usually gather anywhere around five rocks.  Through the duration of my baseball game he would drop one if I had made a bad play or added one to the group if I had made a good play.  His hope was to end the game with more pebbles then he started with.  I stand here with eight pebbles right now.  I started with ten, but put five of them in my father’s pocket last night, so he would be buried with them.  Last night at the visitation a very good friend of my father and I came to me and said he had a present.  He had gone to the same field we won the city championship game on and went down third base line and grabbed some rocks for my dad.  He brought them to the visitation and gave them to me.  There were three rocks in total that he gave me.  The significance is that my father and I started the night with ten rocks and ended with thirteen which meant last night was a good night.  The best part about this story is the amount of people who knew my dad and his pebbles routine.  I got a call late Wednesday night from a very good friend of mine.  And he told me the one thing he had been thinking about since he heard the news was my dad and his pebbles.  He had been about the fiftieth person up to that point to mention it. 

          So far I have spoken a lot about baseball, and there is a lot more to know about my father beyond sports.  However I feel like I do not need to tell you the type of person he was because everyone here already knows.  If I had to pick on word to describe him, I would choose selfless in a heartbeat and I believe everyone here would agree with me.  I am going to stay on the baseball topic how ever because this is where I believe me and my father connected the most.  Many people talk about fathers who are always there for their kids at every sporting event, being their biggest fan.  I can stand here and confidently say my dad was my biggest fan.  I cannot think of one game in my life that my dad ever missed, and I know every person here can vouch for that.  As I grew older, I just played baseball.  I stand here in complete happiness because I know my father’s wish was granted.  I felt he was happiest when I or my sister was, because that is the type of person he is.  I know he wanted to see me pitch at the college level and this fall he was able to see me start one of the RED and WHITE series games, and I know he was so proud.  This is the last time he got to see me play baseball, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.  I know from here on out my dad will be watching from above.  He will get to see every game I get to play in, and he will be pacing back and forth with his pebbles in hand. 

          As I am on the baseball subject still I must talk about my senior year of baseball at St. Xavier.  As I stand up here I had two items with me.  One is the first glove my father ever bought me, and the second is the jersey from my senior year of baseball.  The significance is the gap between the two.  The gap is filled with all the memories of my father coaching me and watching me as a player.  My senior year went very well at St. X.  I would always end a game and find my father before anyone else, and he would always give me a hug.  He was glowing just as much as I was and everyone knew this.  He was so happy for me because he knew that I was happy.  Beyond that, one of the best things about my dad is that after the hugs, and the congratulations from other people, he would pull me aside and let me know that mistakes I made.  He was the type of father that would be unhappy with a 99 on a test because it wasn’t a 100.  There was always something that could have been done better.  He kept me level headed, never letting me get ahead of my self.  He always wanted me to get better, everyday.  That’s the type of person he was.  He was always trying to make everyone around him better.  So, if there is one thing everyone can do, in my father’s honor, it is to do something everyday to make yourself better, anything at all.  Anything, just to say you are better than the day before, because my father would like that. 

          My father was a family man first, so as I stand here I must say something about his family.  I feel the need to say something about my sister.  When I left for college, my father had more free time on his hands.  The relationship between him and my sister grew so strong.  The best part about that is I could keep tabs on my sister through my dad without bugging her.  I talked to my dad at least everyday, sometimes more than once.  And the topic of conversation was always family, school, and baseball, and always in that order.  My mother and sister were always brought up.  Through my dad I always felt like I saw them everyday. He would talk to me about what they did everyday so I never felt like I was far away at college.  I know my father loved my sister with all his heart and he loved my mother even more.  Like I said he was a family man first and my mother and sister, along with everyone else here in this church can agree to that. 

          The best part about today is that I know my dad is looking down upon all of us.  In all honesty he is probably making some smart remark about how someone has dressed or how some body’s shoes are not clean.  I am just so happy that I got so be with my father as his favorite baseball team, the Boston Red sox, won two World Series.  To some of you that may seem in appropriate for such a touching speech, but for those of you that know him well, you know how much it meant to him to finally see the Sox win the series before he passed. 

          Once again I want to thank everyone who has come today.  My father is an amazing person and it is evident that he touched so many people in his life.  I just want everyone to remember to do something everyday to make yourself better because that is what my father would want.  Thank you for everything.  I speak for my entire family when I say I love my father with all my heart and he will always be missed.  God Bless.

The poem I am about to share with everyone was my dad’s favorite.  In times of need, he would turn to this poem for inspiration and guidance.  My dad strived to live his life to the fullest each and every day. 

When I was in the 8^th grade, my dad shared this poem with me and ever since that day it has always been with me and always will be.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Through my dad’s guidance and lasting presence, I promise him I will always follow the road less taken.