Dr. K's Speech for her Father (Mr. C)

Dr. K hates public speaking. She is a very shy, quiet person. She is particularly shy in crowds. I think we attended sunday school for a year and a half before she ever spoke in class. You may be able to imagine how difficult it must have been for her to address the assembly of mourners at the service for her father.

That said, she was determined to present this last gift to her father and she was willing to face her fears to get it done.

She nailed it. She didn't read the speech, she told the story. She smiled, and paused, and emphasized exactly as she needed and I don't think she left a dry eye in the house. I could not be more proud.

So without further ado, here is what she said:

"I have been very blessed to have Ed Chapin not only as my father, but also as my friend. And I know that my brother and sister, Chip and Terri, feel the same way.

I could spend a great deal of time speaking about my father. But I feel I can best describe the man he was by just some of the lessons we learned from him.

Our father taught us many lessons of LIFE:

He taught us to love life and to seek life’s blessings everyday.
He taught us that we do not JUST have a responsibility to help others but that it is an honor and a privilege because in helping others we are doing “God’s work”.
He taught us that the true character of a man is not overshadowed by his mistakes.
He taught us that we can never have enough friends and each friend is a treasured jewel.

Throughout his life our father has also taught us lessons of COURAGE. These lessons were never more apparent than in the past few years:

He taught us about strength and determination in the light of great hardships and about perseverance even in the darkest of times.
He taught us that our inabilities do not define us.
He taught us to face our challenges with hope, with dignity and with faith in God.

And most importantly, throughout his life, our father taught us many valuable lessons of LOVE:

He taught us to love ourselves,
He taught us to love our families and friends,
And he taught us to love those who are so down and out that they may not even love themselves.

Our father, our friend Ed Chapin also taught us that because of your friendship and your love, he was a very blessed man."

Yes, he was. - Special K