I was honored to have been asked to officiate at the funeral of Jason Vicknair on Aug. 7, 2009. Jason was the son of Tommy and Brenda Vicknair of LaPlace and was only 33 years of age at the time of his death. I had known Jason for most of his life. He is survived by six siblings. His sister, April, read the following at the service, which was written by Jason on Dec. 20, 2008.

“A DAILY PRAYER”

By Jason Vicknair

Lord, keep us safe and our loved ones well

Lord, bless this home and all who inside dwell

Lord, grant me the patience to wait for myself

Lord, grant me the endurance to keep my Bible off the shelf

Lord, grant me the diligence to follow your path

Lord, grant me the knowledge to stay away from your wrath

Lord, grant me humility to keep me from pride

Lord, grant the strength to hang on for the ride

Lord, grant me the courage to follow your lead

Lord, grant me the chance to help those in need

Lord, grant me the wealth that I might share it with others

Lord, tame my speech that I may not offend my brothers

Lord, grant me wisdom that I may know you more

Lord, grant me purity so that light shines from my core

Lord, grant me faith so I might believe

Lord, clean my closet that I may receive

Lord, grant me honesty so your truth I might spread

Lord, grant me the time so I may do this before I’m dead

Lord, my God, my Savior, and King

If I do die before completing everything

My trust is in you that the best for me is done

And I thank you, my God, for the race you’ve let me run

Lord, all these things I swear to you

Cause with you on my side there’s nothing I can’t do.

The holiday season is one of the loneliest times of the year for many people. I thank the Vicknairs for giving me permission to use Jason’s prayer. I pray that they will be consoled knowing Jason’s words may help others.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.