My part of the eulogy... In addition to the honor of being asked to help deliver the eulogy today for our friend Shawn Madden Ifpa Pro, I was so proud to be in the group with Cindy, Susan Leaf-Krieger, and Kendi Baker. I am grateful that I had the strength to deliver this and we all did him justice. Shawn was as special as they come. Heather Ballenger Madden will carry that on. For my friends who could not make the funeral or wanted to read what I said once again- Here it is below. I am hoping to gather all the others and put it on that web page we made for Shawn soon: ***** I have had the privilege to speak at many, many, gatherings. This is one of the highest honors! I am use to just speaking off the cuff and from the heart... but today I thought it would be best if I stuck to a script… Yesterday, Heather actually asked me if I was OK doing this? Really? Worried about me and also many other people??? YOU are SOMETHING… If I was to back out, that would undermine EVERTHING Shawn stood for about a challenge or opportunity. Heather, I think I speak for everyone when I say we are here for him AND -YOU! It’s not about us, except perhaps how he IMPROVED our lives. When I was asked to be part of this service, I thought of so many Shawn stories I had, and then realized that you all have your stories of Shawn as well… and you would likely drift into your memories as I spoke of mine. If you know Shawn, you know HIS story. You know HIS drive because of losing HIS mom. You know he wanted to make YOU a better person. But what I think is most poignant part, is the common thread we all share because of him: How many people here today have met each other because HE made sure to introduce you... to each other? He wanted to connect and connect everyone. How many of you have heard… • The “Daddy-Os” or “Hey Girlfriend” • The Fist Bumps • ‘I’m bragging on You’ • “Um… You open to suggestions?” And of course, the most prominent thing of all: THAT FREAKIN’ SCOOTER!!! Shawn and I shared a lot. I mean, he shared his story with everyone and had a way to make you feel that you both shared something special together. That was his way. I had something similar to his foot in my right heel when I was 12. When I was 14 it was my left leg with a different issue that almost led to amputation. But I made a full recovery. That was my drive as much as him losing his mom. “Do the most with the time you have and reach past your limits to beyond what you think is possible” Many of my friends and even others in this room got into fitness competitions because of Shawn. A lot became champions ON THEIR FIRST OR SECOND TRY. Many people started training, became instructors (or admittedly better instructors), lost weight, or just more more active because of him. All of us had at least one extra smile in any day we saw him, because he would go out of his way to make sure you saw his giant grin. He was proud of that, but it was contagious. He and I were both broadcasters on TV. I heard the studio crew at WJZ (his last station) had issues with shading the cameras when he was there, because the lightning of his dark face was washed out by that bright-white-toothy grin. I have seen more than enough tragedy in my days and somehow was always able to make sense of it, at least to some point. This one is hard to wrap my head around. --> A man with weak heart actually had the biggest heart of all. But the only thing I suggest is that all of us that were brought together through Gold’s or some other aspect of Shawn’s life are a bit closer now in his absence. He had a way of connecting with most people, so sharing and continuing this bond on any level would be the ultimate legacy. He certainly would love that. In 10 days I am about to tell some of my story and that of many others in my Cool Kids Campaign charity. I will embark on a 1 week, 300 mile+ trek across the entire state of Maryland. Gold’s is a major sponsor of this. Heather played a large role in my training, especially for the bike portion of this. Heather and Shawn were truly my biggest supporters. Shawn was going to spend the entire week in my road crew vehicle. Heather actually volunteered him for that, because he had nothing else to do” :-) My last conversation with Shawn was after Heather’s class Wednesday night. I was going to pull him out of ‘retirement’ to host YouTube videos helping document the physical part of my journey. He would show off his skills and prop up the trainers of Gold’s as experts to the world. There is a big hole now, but I feel the timing is ripe with the perfect opportunity: On my Day 4- Wednesday August 21st- Heather had already planned to join me for the entire day of 41+ miles of hiking and biking. This day NOW, my charity will be set aside and the entire journey dedicated to Shawn. I have rerouted the course to go past his gym in Eldersburg. Heather is still on for that! What better way to honor him than getting as many of the Gold’s family (and others) to join us in a show of fitness, solidarity and celebration! If you want to be part in any way, we will make sure to tell you how. I’ve been in touch with WJZ and they may very well cover this event. If we can get him on TV ONE MORE TIME, you know that ego… He would have a BIG GLOWING SMILE. One more thing: The founder of Cool Kids has also just started a new web site called the Stories Between. It is not a ‘rest in peace’ memorial, but a place to show off the real life, in your words. A place dedicated so all of our Facebook posts don’t get lost in timelines. I set up a webpage for Shawn this morning where you can post all of your stories and they can go live on forever, together, and easily found. The gym will make to share the link ASAP. This is my way to deal and I know everyone handles it differently. There have been sleepless nights, concern for Heather, Sammi J and Jax. One friend thought she could never return to the gym again. But rather than create a negative aspect in all of this, be like Shawn and don’t stop for any obstacle. She’s been back a few times and grateful for it. He would not want you to stop your journey or story telling. His story AND yours. This is sad. This SUCKS! But it happened. All of us are here today for a truly unique soul that will live on… IF you take the best of how he touched you, incorporate that in who you are, and embody that in how you connect to all people in your life. Heather: I am not sure if you heard my suggestion that I think might be the ultimate way to sum up Shawn as a person and memorialize him. Get a treadmill and place it at the front of the gym. Find a way to rig it so it will ‘roll’ ALL THE TIME… Then… set his scooter on it to ride endlessly, for all to see when the arrive and leave each day. A fitting memorial, don’t you think? Sammy J and Jackson, man you look just like your dad-with hair! Your daddy WAS silly Your daddy WAS strong Your daddy WAS sincere... Your daddy... OUR Shawn... CAN, AND STILL WILL push us to our limits, and always make us smile.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 21:05:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015