Perry would have been 46 March 20th, 2007
I made it through Vietnam. I was the oldest of six children. I thought that I would be the first to die. I called Perry the night my son-in-law Robbie was airlifted to Grady Hospital. Perry was stronger than me and I was relieved when he walked in that night at Grady. We prayed together, we shared our good times in our life and we shared our problems with one another. Perry was a hand’s on fix it person. Perry drove an 18 wheeler for a few years. Perry also repaired 18 wheeler’s. Perry loved his 68 Mustang. Perry loved Larry Bird of the Celtics. Perry loved his family, Shay, Adam and Kendra. Perry loved our Mother, his brothers and his sisters. Perry loved all his family. Perry loved his friends. Perry loved helping people. Perry loved his church. Perry loved Rick his Sunday School Teacher. Perry loved Jesus. Perry, Rick & Martha were friends who shared their love for Jesus. Congressman Gingrey said it best in Washington DC a couple of weeks ago “these three didn’t just sit in their seat at church they took action and died helping others”. 46 years ago today. March 20, 1961 my Mother gave birth to my brother Perry in the same house and the same exact room that I was born in April 29, 1950. My sister Barb was also born in that same spot. God I know that my spirit cannot speak or connect to Perry but I can speak through the Holy Spirit “Tell Perry that I miss him and that I will see him again”. Perry’s Brother, Danny
Heaven was needing a hero.
I came by today to see you. I had to let you know.
If I knew the last time that I held you was the last time. I'd have held you and never let go.
It's kept me awake nights, wondering . Lie in the dark, just asking why? I've always been told.
You won't be called home. Until it's your time. I guess heaven was needing a hero.
Somebody just like you . Brave enough to stand up. For what you believe. And follow it through.
When I try to make it make sense in my mind. The only conclusion I come to.
Is heaven was needing a hero. Like you . I remember the last time I saw you. You held your head up proud.
I laughed inside. When I saw how you were standing out in the crowd. You're such a part of who I am.
Now that part will just be void. No matter how much I need you now. Heaven needed you more.
Cause heaven was needing a hero. Somebody just like you. Brave enough to stand up. For what you believe.
And follow it through. When I try to make it make sense in my mind. The only conclusion I come to.
Is heaven was needing a hero. Like you. Heaven was needing a hero. And that's you.
Love you uncle Perry
Perry's Youngest Son ...Adam's Essay
“The first step in becoming a man, is actually wanting to be one.” For as long as I can remember, my mother has always taught me to treat other people the way you want to be treated. Do not make fun of others, and always keep your head up. My mother molded me into the person I am today. If something gets me down, she is always there to pick me up and keep me going. But lately, I have taken her wisdom for granted. I did not take any consideration to her words of wisdom she had put in front of me all of my life. Instead, I had been searching for help in all of the wrong places, failing to realize my answers were right in front of me. Which brings me to my point, the first step in becoming a man, is actually wanting to be one. Choices are placed in front of everyone everyday. Sometimes we make the right choices and sometimes we do not. For me, it seems that 90% of my choices were for all of the wrong reasons. I would decide my own decisions without thinking them through. In result, I dwell in regret of what I have chosen. But that is not what a man would do. A strong individual would realize his mistake and learn from it. Without mistakes, we would fail to learn anything. The best thing to do is to shake it off and keep right on going. Playing the role of an individual in today’s youth is a challenging job. With all of the pressure and negative surroundings, it is difficult to decide which decisions are the right ones. We consume the majority of the negative influence that pollutes our social environment. We do not take seriously the infections of the wrong choices we make and the damage they can cause. Here is an idea. How about we all follow our own hearts instead of becoming what everyone else wants us to be? Perhaps desiring the promotion of maturity is not enough. Earlier in my life I began to question the position I obtain here on earth. What was my purpose? Does anyone really care if I am alive or not? Was the pain of regret and depression really worth my time? I arrived to the point in my life where nothing really mattered anymore. I began to socialize and spend time with the wrong people, ignoring the knowledge of what was right and what was wrong. Showing no remorse, the pride and integrity that I had once obtained started to decline rapidly. Did this help me find my answers? Not one bit. I tried so hard to drown my broken thoughts and mixed feelings by proceeding in the exact opposite of what I knew I should do. Instead, I became even more lost in this puzzle we call life. I was not going to repair my problems by running away from them. It was time to grow up. Thanks to all of my loyal friends and family, who have had to put up with my immaturity and struggles, I would probably not have succeeded in writing this paper today. Finally, I have realized that running away from my problems and attempting to be something that I am not, would not answer any of my questions. So, did I succeed in finding the answers to most of my problems? No. But there is one thing that I did manage to succeed, coming one step closer, to being a man.