My Last Memories of David Rye

Hi, I am kind of a writer.

You don’t always know why things happen. There are a lot of things that I still don’t know why they happen. I don’t know why this happened. I do know that my life has taken a lot of extra ordinary turns in the last week or so.

Last Saturday, I was told by the Stacey Ciscell that she had run out of medication. We did not have money do the next day, she wound up in the emergency room. She was then accepted for treatment and moved to another hospital. This series of moves did not change the fact that I did not have any money or that the needs were starting to grow. At first I didn’t tell anyone until I truly had nothing and then begged friends.

This was after Stacey had already been moved. When I got home, I had a message from David Rye reaching out to me to see how he could help. I felt bad asking anyone but asking a man who was dying seemed to make me a particularly bad person on some level. Then, he told me something that will stay with me the rest of my life.

He said ” All I got is money and the love of family and friends. Do you want to guess which one I will have in about a week? ”

He wanted to send by Wal-Mart to make sure that I got it. We wound up talking most of the night. I always kind of avoided the topic with him. I figured that he didn’t need another person talking to him about it. This time, he brought up the subject. We talked about it. He told me that my friendship and writing had been a bright spot in his life for the last couple years.

I told him that I started praying for him every night since October of 2013. He thanked me for my faith. We exchanged stories back and forth. At one point I said…

”Well, I have been me a long time. ”
David responded ” That’s a good person to be. ”

He said to make sure that I let him know that I got the money. I did not get it till the next day. I contacted him and we talked more. At the end of it all, he finally said ”I’m not feeling good. I am going to bed. Talk to you later.”

He was happy that Stacey was doing better and might come soon. I did not want any of this to happen. I did not want to be out of money. I did not want Stacey to go to the hospital. I did not want to have to ask for money. I did not want any of it.

This morning, I found out David passed away. I have known he was dying but I did not expect it today. I don’t know how close I was to being the last person he talked to. There is a lot that I don’t know.

There is some that I do. As terrible as this last week has been, I would not give up the contact that I had with David these last three days for anything. I know that I miss my friends. I know that he mentioned the songs ” Bluest Eyes in Texas” and ” Brown Eyed Girl. ” I know that he mentioned a son of a friend of his who has ADHD and how much he loved him. I know that when I told him that when he passed, I would write a blog post that would make the ” angels sing. ”

I also know that in the comic Amazing Spider Man #400, Aunt May dies. Peter reads to her from Peter Pan and she gasps last as he reads ” Do you know the way to Neverland? It’s just the second star to the right and straight on till morning. ”

Since I read that, somehow I came to a designation in my mind that the most special of people passing were worthy of the quote. They were ” second star ” worthy. David is the first one so worthy that I quoted the line to him before he passed if only by one day. Maybe, just maybe, he thought about or dreamed of flying to Neverland before the end.

I want his friends and family to know that part of his last action on Earth was to help our a struggling family. He showed care, love, friendship, and fellowship to his fellow man right up to the end. If that does not get a high note from an angel, then all the words I have had before and all those since will have been wasted.

I want to convey the emotion I am feeling. I want you to feel as I feel. I want you to know that he kept hud humor that we all loved and his capacity to love till the very end. If that is what it took for everyone to know, then no matter what the cost to me was to deliver that message – it was more than worth it.

I also want you to know that he said Ole Miss games were a lot more fun than Mississippi State games.

A lot of people have said today that they don’t have words.

I have words.

Rest in peace, go high on that mountain David Rye. You have earned it.

Like I said, I am kind of a writer. I want you to love this man as I did.