Well I made the speech for Dana Taylor. Very hard but proud I did it. Heres how it went down.. Now for the most part, like me and many of you fellas here, you might have met Dana at park or gym playing basketball. Back in 90-91, I remember distinctively his quickness. He had a wicked cross over and a bank shot that stayed open anytime he wanted to cash it in. He also played extremely great defense. When he wasn’t on my team, I would get a rebound and when I came down with it, soon as I put the ball down to dribble, swoop! He stole it before I could realize what happened. You could hear him chuckle as he put it right back in the hoop and have a big smile as he jogged back to the other side laughing. He did that to me for awhile but he definitely taught me to learn to protect the ball, especially when he wasn’t on my team. He taught a lot of people to become better on the court whether they were on his team or not. Speaking of team, it didn’t matter if you were not an exceptional player, he didnt care if you didn’t have mad skills, if you were a kid or even a girl who likes to play. It just didn’t matter to Dana. No matter what or who he played with, he was able to make you better by doing what he did..He was a natural leader. Now I could talk basketball stories about Dana all day long, as probably most of you could too, whether you were playing with him or just spectating. Dana had more than a talent for being a great basketball player. He had an attraction that others wanted to just be around him. But Dana did what he wanted to do and pretty slow at times. He wasn’t the fastest person to get up and go do things. I remember when he was my room mate, we were often late for many events. He just took his time. He was actually worse than my wife and that’s hard to do. But to his credit, once he was in full swing, Dana had the energy of a nuclear power plant. He could debate about anything and for hours.. he always had a point to make. And it usually started with his famous words, “put it like this!” See that’s what Dana was about, making his mark on people and getting through to them. Unfortunately, I have been personally down this road before with my younger sister and mother. Dana was there for support both times and gave me pep talks often. But there was one thing I realized about when people go unexpectedly. They somehow did their job. Dana didn’t just do one good job, he did many. I strongly feel Dana touched each and every one of us and made a difference in our lives. When I attended Dana’s Remembrance, it was proof he spread his gifted moments with all. He did with me for sure and I owe him more than thanks. I still have a hard time coming to grip my friend will not be around. On the other hand I feel comfort for him, peace and his presence at times. Dana was a great friend, brother, son, cousin, father and soon to be husband to Selena. I just think Dana was sent here to influence us in different ways. He obviously achieved the goals of god and now he is needed more upstairs. I can vision a bunch of angels around Dana and him talking their ears off and chattering away. He’s probably head of communications in heaven already. Dana I just wanted you to know you are in my thoughts, prayers and soul forever. Rest in peace and may god be with you.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 17:35:56 +0000