In Gratitude for the Life and Witness of My Friend, Ed Miller

This is the sermon from Ed Miller's wonderful services last Saturday.

In Gratitude for the Life and Witness of My Friend, Ed Miller

May 28, 2011

By George Wilkes

As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  (II Timothy 4:6-8)

One might conclude that swimming is an exact sport.  You enter the water swim the distance and touch the wall at the finish.  The distance is measured and specific.  The time it takes you to swim that distance is calculated.  The chronograph does not lie.  Swim the distance in a certain time and you make the cut.  If you don’t swim the time you don’t make the cut.  It’s an exact sport:  measured, calculated and recorded.

Or there are a particular number of yards that a swimmer must swim in order to train properly.  Swim 5000 yards a day and you attain one level of fitness and speed.  Swim 7 or 8000 and you will likely get to another level.  There are specific workouts.  Stroke drills.  Kick drills.  Dry land exercises.  Specific ways to become proficient in the stroke and to become more efficient in the water.  There are particular, clear cut ways to train swimmers, correct methods that have been tested by time.

One might conclude that is pretty much it.  Swimming is that exact.  But those of us who know the sport know that there is more to swimming than the numbers.  There is more to the sport than yards, or meters, or minutes, or seconds, or split seconds.  There is more to swimming than technique or method.  Much more. 

Ed Miller knew that swimming is, in many ways about the times and the numbers, the distance and the speed.  He had a watch.  He knew the splits that needed to be swum and the cuts that needed to be made. He devised thousands of yards of workouts. He knew all about that side of the sport and he applied that knowledge well.  But he also knew and he taught that swimming is about much more.  And even more, Ed lived what he taught.

Ed knew that swimming was first of all about showing up.  You come to practice.  You come on time.  Or you know what might happen.  He knew that the swimmer who comes to practice day in and day out, the swimmer who shows up even when he’s tired, or when there is something more attractive that she could be doing, is probably going to succeed.  He knew that swimmers who show up for practice and swim the yards and do the workouts on a consistent basis will probably do better than the swimmers who do not.

But there was more to it than that.  Ed not only expected you to show up, he showed up himself.  He was always there.  On the deck.  With his watch.  Giving a whole weekend up to be with his team at a meet.  Ed never asked a swimmer to do more than he did.  He was always there.  Coaching.  Teaching.  Sometimes criticizing.  Sometimes encouraging.  Laughing.  Talking.  Yelling.  Whistling.  (Whistling a lot!).  Ed showed up because showing up is what swimming is all about. 

And Ed showed up because he knew that is what life is all about.  Whether it is showing up at the pool, in class, or at work, Ed knew that a person who will show up to swim, will show up in life.  He knew that such a person will probably be a person who is present in the lives of others, who will be there when needed and will probably be a person who can be depended upon.  A swimmer who shows up will mature to be the parent who shows up for his or her children, the spouse who is always there for the other, the friend who is present when needed.  And I think Ed knew that the person who, for whatever reason wouldn’t show up to swim, may not show up in life either, may not be as dependable as someone who did.

It’s about showing up.  But it’s about more than that.  It’s about the way you swim, too.  Not just the technique, that’s important, but it’s about how you practice.  It’s about the ethic that a particular swimmer brings or doesn’t bring to the pool.  Ed expected his swimmers to swim the workout.  He knew that a swimmer who cut corners or slacked off or went through the motions wasn’t going to succeed like a swimmer who brought a work ethic to the pool that was focused and motivated.  He knew that the swimmers who brought the right kind of work ethic to practice would perform well in the meets.

But he knew that there is more to it than that.  He knew that if you cut corners and slacked off in the pool, you will probably cut corners and slack off in other places too.  He knew that the ethic a person brings to the pool will probably be the ethic that person takes to class or to college or to marriage or to career.  And again, he didn’t just ask his swimmers to practice swimming that way, he practiced life that way.  He built and ran a successful business.  He and Colleen raised and loved a family.  And he coached his swimmers.  Day in and day out.  He had that workout scratched out on a piece of paper.  He not only talked about a work ethic…He lived it.  How you practice will probably show how you live.

It’s about showing up.  It’s about how you practice.  But there’s more to it than that. It’s about love.  Love for the sport.  Love for your swimmers if you’re a coach.  Love for your teammates.  I can’t tell you how many times Ed told me how much he loved this team.  I don’t think we can really know how much he loved you…Colleen probably knows that better than anyone, because she loves you all too.  He loved you all so much that he wanted you to do your best, to be your best.  If he ever criticized or corrected, it was an act of love.  Ed bragged on how you love each other as teammates.  How swimmers from Spartan High or Dorman or Byrnes or Boiling Springs could be going at it in a meet one night and then the next afternoon be laughing and hugging at Splash practice.  He loved that about y’all.  He loved to see you do well; he loved to see you learn from failure or disappointment, but most of all he loved to see you smile. 

After Ed got sick, he missed being at practice so much.  He wanted to be with you so badly.  He told me again and again, “I just want to go back.  I want to be with them one more time.”  It meant so much to him when you went to see him in the hospital and at home.  He loved you very much.

Ed knew how important love is, not only in the sport, but in his own life.  He loved swimming, but he loved more than that.  He loved Colleen so much.  Yes Colleen he kidded you a lot, well sometimes a whole lot.  But you could see it in his eye. You could see it when they were together on deck.   His love for Colleen was true and deep and wide.  And he loved his boys:  Casey, Kyle, Kevin, he was so proud of y’all.  Each of you made him so happy.  And he loved his family and he loved his friends.  So many of you here today meant so much to Ed.  And he meant so much to us.

I think Ed’s longtime friend Casey Claflin said it so well in a beautiful note he emailed to Ed.  He said:  “I`ve always known that we were friends. There for each other if need be. From my perspective, you appear to be a man that shouldn't have any regrets (just learning experiences). A 40 plus year relationship with a wonderful woman, 3 great sons, a "flock" to watch over (and influence) and just the perfect amount of friends who love you and your family (and no matter what the "macho" guys say...they do too!). You’re a "blessed" man, Ed Miller, and I pray you feel the same. Please know that your life HAS made a difference to everyone who`s had the privilege to know you. No man should ever want for more. Ed the "human being"...the "human" part is seen in your family and friends and the "being" part is this little piece of YOU that`s on every heart you ever touched.”

Thanks be to God that Ed Miller has touched our hearts.  St. Paul said, “the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”  Or, as Ed might put it: “I’ve swum the distance, I touched the wall, and I have done the best I can.  I’m on the award stand, and you won’t believe who is hanging a medal around my neck!”

But what now?  Where do we go from here? How will we go on?  What will we do with the many gifts that God has given to us in Ed Miller and his wonderful life?  What are we going to do now?  Do what Ed did.  Show up.  Practice well.  Love one other and love the God who gives you the precious gift of life.  Because that really is what it’s all about.