On Saturday, January 31st, 2015, Philip's parents were presented with a certificate from his [I'm not positive on the correct term but I think it's one or more of the following] staff sergeant/ battalion/ company/ troop/ regiment/ brothers in recognition of his service as a Marine. During that service, we were invited to share memories or stories about Phil. This is what I shared that evening with his family, friends, and brothers.
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Over the past week I've shared many memories about Phil. I realized after the fact that maybe I should have held on to some of those because now I am left with little material to share that won't get Phil or me in serious trouble and considering my current occupation, I can't risk sharing the good stories.
Though we have created many memories together, there is one day from July 2010 that stands out the most. Though I have mentioned this day previously, I never went into detail about it. Phil, Mat, Regan, and I decided to drive down to the Holly Beach in the jeep - don't worry, he wasn't stealing the jeep... Well this time at least. Driving down, Phil and I both pretended like we knew where we were going and neither one of us wanted to tell the other that we didn't. Three and a half hours later, we made it to the beach. Phil and Mat played soccer on the beach while Regan and I played in the sand. As we sat on the white sands with our feet in the crystal blue water, we realized that half the fun of this trip, if not all of it, was not in the destination, but in the journey itself.
When it was time to go back home, we hopped in the jeep and made it back in much less than the three hours it took us to get there. Phil plugged in his phone and we listened to Young Forever by Jay-Z. With the gulf coast winds and the smell of fresh, clean gulf water all over us, I glanced over at my baby cousin. I don't know how many people know this, but Phil sometimes smiled. It was a rare occurrence, but every once in a while, he would break out those pearly whites and essentially become a walking toothpaste advertisement.
Anyways, I glanced over at Phil and his smile and I thought, "I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be this kid's cousin." I wanted to hold on to that moment forever. I knew I was going back to Fort Worth the next day and that I would probably never have another summer day as perfect as this one. And it's true. I have never had a summer day so perfect.
Looking back, I'm reminded of how Philip has the innate ability to make the most ordinary and mundane things seem extraordinary. It didn't matter what that kid was doing, he was always having a good time doing it. His presence made everything special. We saw that this past Friday night when we drove past a place we all eagerly waited to leave become holy ground for a much better homecoming than we ever had in our 4 years there.
Philip has taught each of us that the joy we seek is in the company we keep, taking each moment and making the best of it, just like how this week was basically a week long party and we all know how much Phil loved a good party.
The road ahead will be long and rocky, but we can find peace in knowing that on Sunday morning it was Grandma and Grandpa who were holding the "Welcome Home Phil" sign. I am so thankful for the 21 years, 8 months, and 4 days of life that Philip had on this Earth & I thank God everyday for giving me such a wonderful friend, hero, twin, role model, and baby cousin. Thanks be to God for the life of Philip Brice Woodson and thanks be to God for the life he now has through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. I love you so much baby cous.
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