This week has been a very emotional week for me and my Laurel High School family. I was asked this week to do a slide show for a dear friend that passed away, James Luke Leggett, The Legend. Luke and his wife, Nicki worked with me at Laurel High School for years. Luke was only 49 but in those 49 years he made a huge impact in people's lives. I could go on and on how Luke was a great guy, coach, friend, husband, teacher, etc.; he will be missed. He fought cancer hard and gave it all he had, but our Lord was ready to have him home because Luke had fulfilled his work here on Earth. Nicki, never left his side and she was a true example of love to Luke. A slide show--pictures of people, places, accomplishments here on earth. Luke was blessed and he blessed others with his life. I truly enjoyed and felt honored to put something together for Luke, now was it easy, nope, it never is when you are on a deadline or trying to get the slide show perfect because you want to honor the family. You see as I was working on the slide show Nicki wanted a certain song called, "Luke, the Legend" written by James Ducker, a former math teacher at Laurel. Mr. Ducker wrote the song years ago and I am told they would play the song during baseball games and it would make Luke so mad...LOL. Well I couldn't get the song to convert and Kim Breland was with me and she, a math teacher which are known for problem solving, came to my rescue. She calmed me down and we figured how to get it on the show. Well I thought I was done Friday around 1:00 pm. Well, I started to get more pictures and songs requested for the show so I had to work on it more, no problem. Brian got sick Friday night so I had to work on it Saturday morning with my daughter's help because Jackson and Madelyn Grace would not work with me LOL. I had the slide show perfect. I mean perfect, I watched it and cried like a baby. Kaitlin was in the back ground singing Luke the Legend....:) Then, it wouldn't burn because the file was too big, so I needed a different dvd, well I was told by the funeral home they could run the show off my computer to their screen. I am like yes! Well I closed the show out and went to get a bath but then some thing told me to go check the slide show one more time. I forgot to save the show. I was so mad! I mean mad! I will admit I said some things I am not proud of and then Kaitlin said, mom if you would stop complaining and just do it! Just do it! Luke would say that just do it and don't worry about the rest, Devon. So I did...I got it done then I was off to the funeral home. I got to the funeral home and now what.....Luke was really making me sweat here, it's like he was doing this on purpose because he knows how I get all nervous and start to panic when things are not going right. He did that sometimes at worked, joke with me or say some thing that got my red head self mad....lol. Anyway Scott Dodd was in there with me and I was calling Brian at work just panicking because I couldn't get the show to come on the screen. Brian said stop getting nervous, calm down and listen to me. So I listened to Brian and we got the show running it was working fine and then all of a sudden the show went off their screen. I started panicking again and finally Scott said Devon your screen is the same size of their screen so run it off the laptop. I was like no that is tacky so I kept fooling with it. The show wouldn't come up, I burned the file on a cd, but the cd wouldn't work on the funeral home's monitor, and finally, I got a peace over me that said its okay. People who truly know me know that I get worked up over stupid things. You see, Luke wouldn't care! You see it didn't matter if we had a big or little screen Luke already made his mark...his mark was HUGE! So I had to just run it off the laptop. I heard people make comments and I was quick to explain the problem and how my screen was the same size, but then I realized it didn't matter. Luke wouldn't have cared! What mattered was that the people who loved him tried. I am writing this not to complain, it was an honor to be part of Luke's life. I am writing to say a lot of people came together to make this slide show happen. Yes, I wish I had known the funeral home didn't have a big screen and I would have brought a projector and screen, but watching how people smiled, laughed, and cried as they saw the show it brought tears to my eyes....Luke's legacy was worth it. The show was just a glimpse of Luke's life, but man was it a great show of his legacy. Luke, the Legend, will always be remembered and even as his family lays him to rest he was teaching me this: 1. Friends love and always will be there 2. Don't panic just calm down and know it is all going to be alright 3. Laugh, Laugh, Laugh and oh as Luke would say when are we going to eat 4. To leave a good legacy, one where I am still keeping the good fight strong 5. Tell people you love them Today, Sunday, June 14 Luke was buried and left a great legacy behind, but the one thing I know is that I will see him soon with our Lord on Heaven's field. Nicki, you and Luke had something most people search their entire lives for.....love and laughter. May the memories of Luke remind us that one day we will have a slide show played before Christ.....may we all go work for our Lord so he will say well done my faithful child. To Luke.....well done! Nicki, thank you for allowing the Laurel High School family be a small part of Luke's legacy. We love you! Be blessed Devon BP corner: Thank you Brian, Kaitlin and Mom, Donna for just helping me out this weekend. |