by

Our Son’s Words. His Legacy To Us.

trail-at-farm

 A trail through the woods at our farm.

From a very early age, our son was drawn to the woods at our farm. Justin knew every trail through the woods and would hike for hours at a time. He could identify every unusual type of plant life. He could name every type of tree. Our farm represented his heritage and he spent every moment possible enjoying the thick grass, the beautiful wildflowers, the soaring pine trees, the flowing creek, the flowering dogwoods, and the rolling hills.

Justin taught his sister how to appreciate and love the land that was bestowed to our family. We have never taken our responsibility lightly and Justin realized that we are caretakers of our ancestor’s land. We are caretakers for future generations. As a family, we joyfully share the land with family and friends. This would have been Justin’s wish as well.

Our son is sadly no longer with us, but our memories will always remain sweet and loving towards our free spirit of a young man. We lost him on October 4, 2004 because of a car accident. It was raining and a truck came over a hill losing control as it reached the top. The other driver moved into the oncoming traffic. Our son, Justin was gone instantly and our lives changed forever. We have been able to find our smiles again because of faith, friends, and resilience.   We know that…

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

Ecclesiastes 3-1

Justin left many of his journals at the farm. We had no idea that they were there. Reading his words has brought us such understanding and peace. Justin was a writer and had written for a publication in Austin. Just before we lost him in the accident, he had spent about six weeks at a seminar in Oregon. Justin had been studying Sustainable Living  and Permaculture at the Lost Valley Educational Center. At the time, they had a magazine titled Talking Leaves. While at Lost Valley, Justin wrote an article for the magazine. We found the article with his journals at the farm. His words were profound and gave us a look into the depths of his inner being.

When we finally found the right memorial for Justin, we decided to incorporate one important paragraph from the article into the stone. The memorial is a large piece of granite with one smooth side…we had it shipped to Texas from North Dakota. My husband and I found an artist in the Texas Hill Country who could etch the writing onto the stone as well as some artwork of trees that I drew. It is our wish that those who read Justin’s words in the future will have a much wider understanding of the environment and particularly the land that Justin loved so much.

 

Written by Justin Davis on July 31, 2004: 

 

The wilderness is my church.

I can go into the wild

and receive guidance for anything.

It is mainly a matter of opening up

my heart, my door by breathing

through it and focusing on it.

My heart is my connection to the

Great Spirit/Nature/God.

memorial

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/tree/

23 thoughts on “Our Son’s Words. His Legacy To Us.”

  1. Would love to see that article in its entire. My dad loved the land and hated for us to even pick the wildflowers because they died so quickly afterwards. What a beautifully written section of his article. I can only imagine the loss you must feel. So glad you found some of his writings. Guess that good writing runs in the family. Love you sweet friend.

    Like

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for your comment! I believe that all is possible with faith. That is where we receive our strength and where our daughter receives her strength! I considered not including the picture of the memorial on the post, but we are so happy with the result. It represents the very essence of Justin, so I decided to share his words and the memorial!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Thank you for sharing Justin’s beautiful words and memory stone. He sounds like a wonderful young man. Many of us with children of that same age can’t imagine such a loss, but you have shown how life truly does go on. May you and your family have many happy times in future.

    Like

    Reply

  5. Absolutely beautiful tribute to your son. My heart was heavy as I read this post and yet there was such a sense of joy. I did not know your son but it sounds like he lived life to the full and brought joy to those around him. I am so honored to have gotten to know you through your written words. Your honesty in this journey of life touches me and I am grateful.

    Like

    Reply

    • Your words make me so happy! Thank you for understanding the joy that we feel despite our loss. We know that we have so many happenings and friends to be thankful for…such as the unique opportunity to find a special friend like you! Part of God’s plan!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. I had no idea-I am just heartbroken for you-and the whole planet. It is easy to see from this, that your son was remarkable and noble. Your tribute touched me deeply. The stone is the perfect memorial marker. i can not imagine walking in your footprints, but i admire you.

    Like

    Reply

  10. I don’t feel I know you well enough to say much, but I don’t want to pass by and say nothing. This is a beautiful and suitable tribute to pay to your son.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment