Remembrances written by Doug Bellamy
You who are now gone yet remain, living forever in each of our hearts and God's eternal Kingdom. We bear witness this day of your unique character...
To truly appreciate this poem one must know the circumstances. It was written for the funeral of the loss of *****, who was taken in as a foster child and later adopted by my sister and brother in-law. They devoted their whole lives to caring for disabled children that no one else wanted. Unfortunately my sister has since developed some form of dementia and requires the same care they gave to ***** and several other such children...
I was Born * * * * in 1947 in Venice Beach CA. I attended El Segundo and Hermosa Beach schools. It was so nice, such a special time, playing there and living out the adventure as a young boy does. I recall learning to body surf at Hermosa Beach with my Mom and Dad. From the very beginning I developed a deep and lasting love for the Ocean. Feeling the sand between my toes as I stood in the sea breeze as a young man left a lasting impression. I have loved the Ocean for as long as I can remember, I’ve never tired of it. I always felt closest to God when I was on the water. Still to this very day and even n my current condition, my favorite times are morning walks on the beach...
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is * * * *. I’m one of * * * * many, many good friends. I worked for him for many years and ultimately bought Alta about 8 years ago. I’d like to begin with a bit of levity. A paraphrase of an exchange I had with * * * * as we prepared for this moment. Both * * * * and * * * * want this to be a celebration of * * * * life. Laughing is just fine if you find any portion of what follows humorous...