Soaring With Eagles by Kathleen Rodgers

May 2011 started off like any other months with it's ups and its downs.  Little did we as a family know what the next two months held in store for us.

It Takes Just a Moment (May/June 2011) 
It takes just a moment...
for your world as you now it to be shattered by one simple word
The doctors words cut right to the core of our souls
It's Cancer was all that was heard
It takes just a moment...
To re-evaluate your priorities in life
Life and death are out of our hands
Its fragile at its best so live each day to its fullest extent
It takes just a moment...
To put family and faith at the top of your list
To ask for foregiveness of those you have hurt
To hug and to kiss all the loved ones you hold so dear to your heart
To say "I love you just because you're you"
It takes just a moment...
To share a kind word with a stranger
To smile at the person next to you on the elevator or standing in line
To hold open a door for the one walking behind you
It takes just a moment...
To share an act of kindness before its too late
It takes just a moment..
To get down on your knees
To pray to Your Savior for forgiveness and love
It takes just a moment..
So make every moment count as one day there will be no more!

RIP:  WILLIAM MICHAEL WALSH (1939 - 2011)
Beloved husband for 49 years;  Amazing daddy to 7 children; 
Awesome grandpa to 18 grandkids;
Loyal friend to many; Tough Marine; Faithful Man of God
SEMPER FI (ALWAYS FAITHFUL)


Bill was not just my father; he was my daddy, my hero, my mentor and my friend.  My life will never be the same without him but I also know I will never be without him as long as I continue to keep his memories alive and look for him all around me in the little things; in the legacy of love he left behind; in the words and actions of family members that they learned from him.  I could fill up journal after journal of the many wonderful traits of such a great man but instead I will dedicate one (or maybe two) tribute pages to my daddy as time and my ability to write through the tears allows me.

On behalf of my entire family I would like to express our utter gratitude to the hundreds of family and friends that came out in loving support to share in our grief; to offer kind words of condolence and stories of how dad postiviely impacted their lives; to offer us shoulders to cry on; hands to hold; food to eat; but most off all offered us love - the greatest gift that anyone can give or receive.  To know how he positively impacted so many people, not only in how he lived his life but in how he handled his death is a legacy that can never be forgotten and a goal for each of us to strive for.  We thank you and we love you more than words can express.  
Love, The Entire Walsh Clan

To Mom - you are and always have been one of the strongest woman I have known.  So much of who dad was is due in part to who you were in his life.  You weren't just his wife.  You were his best friend and his confidante. You were there for the good and for the bad parts of life (and raising 7 kids we sure gave you lots to do in both aspects).  Most importantly, you didn't just stand behind him - you stood beside him and supported him and gave us the role model we all needed to have for our marriages. Between the two of you we learned the values most important in life - family, faith, honesty, love and so much more.  Because of you, our family is closer than any other family I know so thank you for being not only a strong woman and wonderful mother but for being the wife that dad needed.  
I love you always & forever, Kathy

The above YouTube Video is a "I am missing you more than you can imagine this very first Christmas without you" tribute that I made to my daddy using a compilation of family photos as the song "Someone Is Missing at Christmas" plays in the background.  His physical body may no longer be with us here during the holidays but his presence will always remain in our hearts for the rest of our lives.

The above song, "Judgement Day" was written by a friend Chap Cash several years ago but I just heard it a few days after my dad died.  It really spoke to me as my dad spent his last moments really talking to each of us and this is the same kind of advice he had given us all through out our life.  I hope it stirs your heart as much as it did mine.  

Thanks Chap for a great song!