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“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yield its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:3
Langston Hughes, the famous poet, once asked the question, “What happens to a dream deferred?”
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore and then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat>
Or crust and sugar over like a syrup sweet.
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it just explode?
While this was the question which perplexed Langston Hughes, I am clear that it was not the question that mystified Frank Alexander Clayton III. If Langston Hughes spent his nights asking “What happens to a dream deferred?” then Frank Clayton spent his days wondering “What happens to a dream manifested?”
What happens to a dream manifested?
Does it grow tall and spread wide like the petals of a sun flowers?
Or like a freight train moving forward gain tremendous power?
Does it bring a smile to the faces of those we love?
Or spread its wings and fly gracefully like a dove?
Maybe it just stretches and beds like plastic.
Or perhaps its just simply fantastic?
No, No the question which drove Frank was not “What happens to a dream deferred” But rather “what happens to a dream manifested?”
Without question, my father was a man who was all about dreaming. Not just dreaming dreams that were so far out there that people looked at him in an awkward manner. But: calculating dreams
precise dreams
demanding dreams
life-altering dreams
Dreams that could be achieved through hard work, determination and a faith in God that could move mountains.
Dreams that were contagious
Dreams that were infectious
Dreams that caused others like you and me to dream even bigger reams.
He was a dreamer. A dreamer who kept on dreaming because it seemed that as soon as a dream was birthed in his spirit, it became reality sooner rather than later.
He dreamed as a child…of life beyond his single parent home and the poverty he experienced from an early age.
He dreamed as a young man…to cease the patter which had plagued his childhood by becoming the type of husband, father and faithful caretaker of his mother so many of us read about in story books.
And as a man…he dreamed of making an indelible mark, by giving his very best, in everything he put his hand to.
But what was so amazing about Frank’s ability to dream big dreams was the fact that he was able to keep his feet firmly planted upon the ground. He was a man “able to walk with kings, yet never lose the common touch.” Anyone who knew him knew him as a humble man and this was because Frank Clayton was a man who was planted.
The psalmist writes, “He is like a tree, planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” (Ps. 1:3).
Frank was a man planted by streams of water. To be planted beside the source of water in this verse of scripture is referring to openness to God and God’s dreams for our lives. It is deep rootedness in the proper ground that allows the tree to withstand drought and to always bear fruit. Frank was always “Fantastic” not just because he said so, but because even in trying times his roots ran deep and he was never without a source to sustain his life. He was not just dependant upon the rains above, but made sure that he was planted solidly, deeply, firmly, in the things which could nurture him form the root.
Frank was a man firmly planted in his family:
Mom, from the very moment Dad laid eyes on you, he knew that you would be life giving for him. You made Frank want to be a better man. He found in you, and you in him, a soul mate – a life partner. And he planted himself beside you as a best friend and lover for over 37 years. You and Frank traveled many roads, hills and valleys together and he never let go of your hand…not for one minute. And though he is not physically present beside you today, he is still holding your hand. He will continue to walk with you if you let him life and thrive in your heart.
Lindsay, you and I know that from the moment Dad laid eyes on each of us that he planted himself deeply in the responsibly of fatherhood. Dad sought to give us so many of the things he never had: a loving and stable environment and the best education. Lindsay, he was the father who carried you when you could not walk. And he was the father who never allowed us to quite when times got tough. And thought we disliked this quality about him at the time, we will forever hear him in our hearts urging us to keep going even when the road becomes unbearable.
Dad and I talked quite a bit over the summer about his passing and more in the last week. He wanted me to tell you Sharon and Lindsay that Dad doesn’t plan on missing anything if you keep him alive in your heart. “I’ll never miss a Christmas. I’ll never miss a Thanksgiving, If you keep me alive in your heart. I’ll never miss a birthday or an Easter program if you keep me alive in your heart. Never miss a child being born or an Anniversary, a Mother’s Day or a Father’s Day, a family meal or a family vacation if you keep me alive in your heart. I want to keep living” he said “in the hearts of those I love and if you let me live there, I won’t miss a thing!”
Ronald, he planted himself by you and your mother. Frank sought to do his very bet to provide for Eloise and keep lines of communication open between you and him. In fact, this week Ronald, Dad with tears in his eyes, said that you were one of the best blessings to come out of his sickness. “I always wanted to be close to my brother,” he said “and this illness has allowed my prayers to be answered.”
Frank was also a man firmly planted by his friends:
So many of you testified over the past weeks what an amazing friend Frank was to you. That it was Frank who gave you a chance when no one else would.
It was Frank, Cecil, who paid you even when you were out sick a whole month also that you might feed your family.
It was Frank, Ramona, who let you keep family first as a you were trying to find your way as a young woman with child.
It was Frank, Tom, who encouraged you thorough your health challenges even when he was facing his own.
It was Frank, Barona brothers, who extended you credit to make your dreams reality.
It was Frank, Damon, who believed in you when you didn’t even believe in yourself.
And there are countless others of you, who are assembled here today, who testify to the man that Frank Clayton was. That he, at some point in your life, was deeply invested in your well being. That he, at just he right moment, planted himself beside you.
But the truth of the matter is that the reason why Frank was such a good family man and friend was because he was deeply rooted and planted in a “Fantastic Faith!” To have faith in general can be a difficult task, especially in times like these, but to have “Fantastic Faith” is to have a faith that is unbelievable. Frank’s attitude was always positive because his faith was always fantastic. Even in his final days when he could not articulate many words, “fantastic” remained ingrained in Frank’s vocabulary.
“Fantastic Faith” is what set him apart:
A faith that trusted God to make him a better husband and a better father
Faith that trusted God to bring him through poverty and a single parent home
Faith that trusted God to work from the bottom up
A faith that trusted God to open Central Electric Supply Company and a faith that held him close when Central Electric closed its doors
Faith that helped him remain “your realtor for life,” even when the market was failing
Faith in God even in the midst of sickness that would break most men
A faith in God to always have a better tomorrow
Faith to make it beyond in trial or tribulation
Faith to count his blessings and not his burdens
A Faith that could move mountains
faith that God is bigger than any problem
And a faith to trust God in the life and in his eternal rest.
Frank had a “Fantastic Faith” in Jesus Christ his savior…that Jesus would see him through. And when you think about it, that’s just what Jesus did. Jesus saw Frank through with safe passage into eternal life. He is now with “the great cloud of witnesses” because of his “Fantastic Faith” in Jesus. Jesus saw him through because no more is he fighting disease in his body but moving freely in the heaven’s walking those streets of God.
So the question is then…What are YOU planted in?
Are you planted in things which are life giving?
Are you planted in “Fantastic Faith?”
Because if you knew Frank and you are planted in fantastic faith then you know what he expects of us? He expects us to finish out verse 3…Let us “Yield fruit in season, let our leaves not wither and whatever we do prosper.”
If you want to honor God and honor Frank then plant yourself in fantastic faith.
If you plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” …”He will wipe every tear from your eyes” (Rev. 21:4)
If you plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” … “He will turn your mourning into dancing” (Ps. 30:11)
Plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” … and “He will carry your burdens” (Ps 68:19)
Plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” … and “He will give power to the exhausted and strength to the weak.” (Isa. 40:29)
Plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” … and “He will heal your broken heart and mend all your wounds.” (Ps.147:3)
Plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” … and remember that “weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning.” (Ps. 30:5)
If you plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” he will turn your tears into testimonies and your moans into meaningful memories.
If you plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” he will turn your sadness into success, your misery into masterful melodies and your grief into gratitude.
If you plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” he will turn your frustration into fortune, your pain into praise and your longing into laughing.
If you plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” you will receive new seeds for the journey, Sharon, and new fruit for the road, Lindsay.
If you plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” whatever you do will prosper.
Plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” and watch how laughter will return, new beginnings will rest upon the horizon and new chapters of untold worlds revealed.
Plant yourself in “Fantastic Faith” Sharon and you will run and not grow weary.
Plant yourself fin “Fantastic Faith” Lindsay and you will walk and not faith.
And I will plant myself in “Fantastic Faith” and mount upon wings like eagles.
Plant yourself, plant yourself, plant yourself….
Honor Frank’s legacy and life by planting yourself in the life giving gifts of this world…Family…Friends…but most of all “Fantastic Faith!”
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