RIP Mel Britcliff aka Melbarb

[mdgfishing]

( if the forum mod need to move this please do so Michael )

 

 

 

Rip: My Best Friend Mel

 

Tho this is one of those email we all get from time to time I thought it is very apt to put it on course fishing now,

 

Why you ask???? at 03 15 on the 16 Jan 2008, 6-7 hours ago I had one of those phone call you hate !!!! it was My best friends Partner, ringing to let me Know that he had passed away at 11 30 last night from a heart attack at the age of 43 we had been great friend for the last 14 or more years out night fishing going out , sorting each other's car's out he re-pointed my chimney re-modeled my kitchen and I can go on and on but won't his name was Mel and I will miss him.

 

I wasn't going to put anything up in GD but this Email arrived from a very dear friend in another country so I thought of all the things I never say. thanks folks for being here.

 

Please bear with me if my posts are a bit curt I just hope my friends understand

 

Too Busy for a Friend...

 

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

 

 

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

 

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

 

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

 

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments.

 

 

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

 

 

Several years later, one of the students was killed in VietNam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.

 

 

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.

 

 

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."

 

 

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.

 

 

"We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it."

 

 

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.

 

 

"Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."

 

 

All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."

 

Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album."

 

 

 

"I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary"

 

 

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists"

 

 

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

 

 

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.

 

 

So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.

 

 

And One Way To Accomplish This Is: Forward this message on. If you do not send it, you will have, once again passed up the wonderful opportunity to do something nice and beautiful.

 

 

 

If you've received this, it is because someone cares for you and it means there is probably at least someone for whom you care.

 

 

If you're "too busy" to take those few minutes right now to forward this message on, would this be the VERY first time you didn't do that little thing that would make a difference in your relationships?

 

The more people that you send this to, the better you'll be at reaching out to those you care about.

 

 

Remember, you reap what you sow. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.

[Elton]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. That's a terribly young age to go

[John S]

Sorry to hear your news too. 43, far too young to go

[mdgfishing]

Thank you both Elton and John , it is of comfort to me.

 

I will miss him as we have been soul mates in so many things but most of all Fishing , I was there when he had his first ever Barbel one open day of the season a few years ago I think he had 15 lb or so and was chuffed But I had best part of 90 lb we often laughed about that he caught several 10 lbers but Mel was there for me, on all my PB's weather it was 3 x 12lb barbel or a 13.8 pike the list goes on for both of us.

 

I WILL MISS MEL MY FRIEND

[mdgfishing]

If any of the kind fishing folk would care to look I have post on another site where I mainly hang out .

 

http://www.digi-darkroom.com/showthread.php?t=32402

 

Thanks all for you kind words and thoughts to me and my fishing soul mate

[Anderoo]

Sorry to hear of your loss, MdgFishing. Mel sounds like a top bloke.

[Codger]

My condolences on your loss MdgFishing...

I am sure all your great memories of Mel, will help a little bit, in the years to come.

[mdgfishing]

Codger and Anderoo thank you for you kind words, it will give me comfort over the comming years ,

 

We had planed some fishing at the end of the season where we both had time off in march and in June where we always have a day or two. not only that we had just joined Scunthorpe Police Fishing Club and were looking forward to fishing new waters. Scunthorpe have agreed to refund the club fee to Mel's partner , which I thank them for.

 

I would like to say to every one that has posted so far a big thank you.

Michael