But, this speech is not about what

happened that day. This speech is about the eighteen to nineteen years

these guys spent with us, and the last four years they spent touching my

life. I wish to celebrate the lives of my friends Walker Kelly, Mason

Wilbanks, and Sam Clayton Kelly to you in hope that you will see what a

loss they were for us here on Earth and what a gain they were for

Heaven.

Out of the three boys, I knew Walker Kelly the least, yet I

looked up to him and wanted the closer bond with him that I had with

Mason and Sam. Walker was the cute soccer player with the big smile and

curly hair for days. The best memory I have with Walker is simply

passing each other in the hallways or on the sidewalk at school, making

eye contact with one another and saying "uhhh,"� and walking away. For

some odd reason, we always pretended as if we were disgusted with one

another. Our friendship was not strong, but secretly I always wished

that would have changed. When I talk to Walker now, I express my

gratitude towards him. I thank him for his kind heart and his ability

to make everyone feel important and welcome.

I knew Mason the

second best. Mason Wilbanks. If you knew him, just hearing his name

would cause two things: a smile and a giggle. Mason was a character.

He was tall and lanky with blonde hair and the biggest Ole Miss Rebels

fan you ever knew. As people would say, the colors red and blue ran

through his veins. Mason was the funny boy in the back of the class

that would do anything but his work. My favorite memories I have with

Mason occurred in my physics class last year. We sat in the back of the

classroom, mistake number one. During class, he would take pictures on

my computer, hide under the desk, or just altogether leave the room.

Not only was he the class clown, he was the school clown. He was

bursting with school spirit and loved to dance. When I talk to Mason

now, I tell him that I love him, and I thank him for all the laughs he

has given me so far and for all the ones yet to come.

Seeing Walker

and Mason always made my day better, but no one made me happier than Sam

Clayton Kelly. Sam was the sharp dresser with the polo hat and

camouflage. He had an ear-to-ear smile and a cute laugh to match. He

was one of the most genuine and dear people I have ever come to know.

My best memory with Sammy would be "our"� song. I hate to admit that I

cannot recall why we did this, but Sam and I declared the song, "It's

Always the Love Songs,"� by the Eli Young Band as "our"� song. When it

comes up on my playlist, I cannot skip it. "We use to pull off highway

249."� The soothing country instrumentals and sound of those first

words, makes me think of him and the boys. When I talk to Sammy now, I

tell him, "It's Always the Love Songs."� He knows what that means, and

that is all I pray for.

It is difficult to celebrate the lives of

these three men in a few minutes. These boys are dear to my heart and

forever they will stay there until I see them again. Everyday is a

struggle, but I wish to thank them for watching over us and calming our

earthly beings with memories that make us remember them and not the

tragedy. I wish to commend Sam, Mason, and Walker on the lessons that

they taught us: to live each day like it is your last and to never wait

to tell someone how much they mean to you. Never go a day without

saying the words "I love you."�