When this is the 37 years of my live. In the 37 years of his live of public service. Our connection was and remains one of heart, and spirit and soul and it is almost impossible that connection indoors. But in people grateful for it. And today i just to see thank you daddy. Heres a letter to express my gratitude to you for a lifetime of lessons, and memories and blessings. Recently he was my hand writing is getting is it too small. So like in recent times, i would like to read this note of thanks allowed. Except today daddy, all of these people have gathered to celebrate your live so its not just you and me. I hope this always can make you proud. Dear dad, over the past week, baltimore and the nation in the world has celebrated your live and your contributions to our collective humanities. You know so monday things to so monday people. You touched about so monday lives. Thats because your was one not only of duty and service but one of compassion another. You truly saw people. And they saw you. No matter their lack of live and politics no matter anything that made them different from you, you often said to me, thank you for just being you. You were the guest. And i have much to be grateful for. And while you were congressman and mr. Chairman, and a season political leader, perhaps the most important title you held in your 68 years of live on this earth, was dead. First, thank you for loving me before i even took my first breath in this world. I remember you telling me how when i was born you know amazed at who can hold me in the palm of your hand. Just one hand and just live. My live. In your hands. You and mom literally give me live we shared an unbreakable connectedness ever since. Which is what makes today so incredibly hard. All right now the words ring hollow in my heart, and work since last thursday, it is this connection and deepen inviting love that even adored when i can no longer feel your big bear hugs, or give you a kiss on your forehead, thank you for teaching me the dual power of my beauty and my brilliance. This might sound boastful, but ever since i was a little girl, my dad always told me i was beautiful. That may sound like a nobrainer, but dad wanted me to understand and appreciate my blackness. And truly feel that my rich brown skin was just is beautiful is alabaster or any shade of the rainbow. [applause]. Climax insisted on buying me brown dolls that look like me so i could truly appreciate myself and what may be different from the width of my nose to the fullness of my lips. And the coarseness of my hair. Now if that was a often, is if the note here, i vividly remember being on the playground in Elementary School the classmate on the ugly. Which i retorted, will my daddy im beautiful. [applause] [applause] and then proceeded to pull out was literally nothing else but rocks. I said you can call my back and ask him. But thank you dad, for always can teaching me to be bold and confident in standby power. To stand up against bullies, to be there over words or covert actions, you did not suffer and he taught me not to either. Thank you for teaching me discernment. Despite that false motives and to spot them. To see the difference between Blind Ambition into purpose and being called to a mission. [applause] thanks for teaching me what leadership means. Just a circle back on blackness and beauty. Thank you for encouraging dme to attend howard university, your own. [applause] you want no matter where i decided youll go to college, tuition checks will be going to howard. Thank you for investing in my education will be for andrew howard. Thank you for teaching me how to persevere. When should the training wheels off my bike when i was six or so, i went careening down a steep slope alleyway behind the house and fell. A member crying to you and you i told you i didnt want to write ever again. And you told me i could do it and wash off my scrapes and try again. And i did. Thank you for teaching me that i do know, it asked me questions on the way to school or maybe out of the lack of confidence in the answered i would see, i dont know. You tell me, you do know jennifer. So me what do you think. Youve always cared what i thought. That never stopped. From our first conversations to our last. Thank you for teaching me to strive for excellence in all that i do. Eq for instilling in me the idea that i tried my very best, that is all i can ask of myself. Thank you for giving me an appreciation the spoken and written word. I remember monday of the day and in your law office on st. Paul street or in the office in the state house in annapolis, where id be reading articles from the baltimore sun. I would summarize them. The best i could get was easy for excellent. I always aim for those. The summary writing led to writing in high school and college and a career in communications i have now. It is no coincidence that it was preparation. Denny think you for seeing me. I saw you. Thank you for nurturing me i think i nurtured you in return. Thank you for loving me unconditionally and teach me 11 leadership are by your example i will miss your smile and your great big smile that could live up a room and i will miss your booming voice would firmly sound hard, and i knew i was in trouble. I will also miss the voice that was just right in plain and staying things like any plug in my phone. I would miss calling you after seeing you on tv tell you what a great job you did. Maybe sharing a couple of pieces of constructive beat feedback. [laughter] for your consideration because you always strive to be better than the day before encourage me to have a point of view a thoughtful critique i will miss you calling me before dawn and my birthday to senior very special conditions of happy birthday. Complete with a lot of rest and soul. For perhaps in tune. I will miss our exchanging christmas presents and you immediately trying on whatever sweater on armor that was part of the gift. I will miss opening presents from you. And you staying, i saw it and just look like you. No missus having brunch, just a still are you and me and adia are you and me and mom, and ordering dessert menu heeding more than half of it. Every time it reminded me of us going to the harbor and getting i. C. E. Nice room when is a kid. Singer leann, i started getting bubblegum i. C. E. Cream because i thought if i live in u. S. Court just might, i might get it back intact. When i would give her just an afternoon at the harbor with you. You have all of that is going down. I will miss the way you squeeze so much catch up on me much everything. But especially the fries and incense fink with tomato goodness at the bottom. I will miss our brief conversations between meetings and hearings. And i will miss the longer ones. I will miss our months of long sleepovers were we just hung out and just discussed in our lives. Sometimes we would be silent and watch the latest 2020 murder mystery. I do, see her face and catch y you, that is love. Enduring love. We werent just saddened daughter, we were confidantes and friends. And daddy i will miss that the most. So on this day after some much has been said and the week is been filled with celebrations of your live. I feel a phrase from you, and stop by today to tell you how much i love you. Im a thank you, and how much i will be indebted and forever connected to you. That is not change is you transition from this live to the next. Eleven doors. Rest well and rest easy daddy. You deserve it. In our conversations will be in person anymore but they will be just is they have always been. Filled with cartoon spirit and soul i love you dad. Thank you. [applause] good morning everyone. God to forgive me. I am writing off of my phone. I am a millennia o. On think everyone for being here. It means the world to my family to know what our father and brother and uncle son meant to is community and his colleagues in the people you work with. I have to see to his staff, please stand up if you are here. [applause] [background sounds] i just want to personally thank all of you. The way that you loved my father. It makes us family forever. And so sorry youve lost so much more than just about steel. Im confident that everyone in this room today, knows exactly the dive boat man my father was. If you didnt, you wouldnt be here. It was a passionate leader, and dependable friend, and relenting voice for change. His pattern for a city estate in his country, was evident in his practices is policies. Monday of his colleagues have spoken of the past week and today, about what an honor and a privilege it was to surf with him. So my sister and i, report to hold the highest order, which was being able to call him dad. And i would be in mist, but did it share a glimpse of what it was like to be his daughter. My dad protect me, sometimes to tell me he was proud of me or to give me words of encouragement. Whenever i call, he noise answered, hey beautiful. And i could tell that he was to hear from me. And he was never hesitant to give his opinion weather ask for or not. Not back and was quick to remind me at any given moment they owed him some her name. [laughter] wasnt a father, known for patients but rather for persistence. When i was getting ready to take my driving test, he may be Parallel Park but felt like 50 times in a row. Until he got it down to a science and it could not do it wrong. I was a very long day, but i passed test on the first try. [applause] he always held me accountable and make sure the device and i was going to do something, that i did it. And always encouraged me to be more giving. Pay instilled in me the same principles that might grandparents instilled in him. Intensity service and humility. I came to him with anything, to asking for anything, he didnt really know who she was, but he went out of its way, even from his sick bed, to make sure i could go see her. She believed in me, believed in my dreams is that they were already reality. She was never is it too afraid to invest time and knowledge and wisdom and her name, and do anything that i aspired to be. He was genuinely invested and committed to my happiness and wellbeing at all times. Last year, i give a card for fathers day. Its an apparent job is to see the child the way god sees them and you do that for me. I would encourage all of the parents here and watching, to see their children the way my dad saw me in the way god sees me. That went out limitation. Not bound by obstacles or circumstances and with the power to determine my own destiny. [applause] my dad not only encouragement, he empowered me. The equipment with the tools they have prepared me to stand here with you today. And he made his live live mission to ensure that every child in the country was is equally that way. We owe it to him, i owe it to him. Do not let his lifework go in vain. [applause] this speech of housework, but cited his favorite poem adjustment. The monomer which words to see today, i heard a song playing on the radio that embodied that same spirit. In the words of eminem, the moment you want it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot to not miss your chance and the opportunity comes once in a lifetime. My father seized his moment. And because of it we are all gathered here today. Come back [applause] and to all of you when the time comes i hope that you sees pictures as well thank you i love you dad [applause] [background sounds] elisha was my older brother, by three years. I can tell you no that at times it was easy, and other times it was not. I followed him into middle school and the teachers expected so much of me. Miss social studies colt, said oh you know Elijah Cummings brother, and i said yes her. And she said expect great things from you. When tape came time to take our high school, Baltimore City college, by the way a call him bobby, people have asked me about a hundred people amassed me over the last week, while we call him bobby. Because its got didnt like his name elijah. But ill refer to him is bobby from now on because thats when i called him the last 64 years. They came when i had a high school to go to and of course he wanted me to go to the city. He said al, lets find out. My name is james but they call me alpha for short. [laughter] is now, euros should go to city. Its not boy school c have no distractions. [laughter] i said bobby, i love distractions. [laughter] i cant concentrate that went out distractions. [laughter] that is when i learned the definition of oxymoron or ironic. But he was a great brother. Going to miss him dearly. I would think the city of baltimore. On a fake speaker policy. The service yesterday has all of the comments that were made. Is a beautiful service. I am going to miss him dearly. The less they want to see that when i was leaving his home yesterday, after returning back from washington, i was in my car theres a gentleman on the steps and he asked me, where you coming from. I told him for my brothers house Elijah Cummings. And he was so apologetic. He said i am so sorry. It is felt really bad and he wanted to a hug. He said i will do anything you need me to do. I will cut your grass. He said when he. Is in virginia. [laughter] [applause] he said while he thought for a second or two and he said will that might be a problem. [laughter] but he did tell me was going be be up there today again to have something for me. I hope that was the nicest thing. See the dive boat person that elijah loved. Elijah would look up to people and want to be so high. He wanted to be in a position like the health of people who could help themselves. [applause] again, i just want to thank everybody. I always want to thank the staff to because when one my last meeting with elijah, i spent an entire sunday with him. This was about four weeks ago. Which really was the last time ive seen him. I spent sunday with him when the cheese plate the ravens. In a question for me. For those of you who dont know i lost my son about eight years ago. Elijah was with him for the rest of his live. He asked me, why did christopher go to old dominion. I simple because his friends wanted to go there. And he wanted to go with his friends. I said man i wish and he wouldve gone there, broke my heart when he was killed. I was not the first time the joliet. The only thing he took to his grave with unresolved was who took my sons live. So hopefully that will turn around here sometime soon. Again i want to thank each and every one of you. You can give someone, you car let them borrow your car your homes or because whatever the case may be. The one thing that you cannot get back his time. Each and every one of you have given up hours of your time just to honor my brother and for that i am eternally grateful. Thank you. [applause] [background sounds] good morning everybody. My name is john alexander. We lost a giant and incredible friend. I am honored to be here this morning to see a few words about my friend, congressman Elijah Cummings. We are this beautiful eulogy about this great man. Im to tell you if you think that maybe you didnt know. Used to tease me relentlessly. Present clinton, he called me an honorary brother. [laughter] i met him in 1996, i was lucky enough to be on his first legislative staff, and the next 23 years, we developed a very close personal relationship. Men almost weekly for lunch to discuss family and politics invokes live. Even the ravens and the orioles. One day, mr. Cummings was late, and i had a cell phone and i couldnt reach him. Later in the day when my colleagues came up to me and said hey, im sorry boss changing a tire and route 95. [laughter] excuse me. No really, your boss was on 95 changing somebody starter. He never said a word to me why he was late. Thats just the way he was. Mr. Cummings always said 80 percent of live is showing up. All of you had somewhere else to be today but you know here. I try to teach that to my son, is exceeded here today. I took them out of school. I think that is an excused absence. [laughter] [applause] see monday of my colleagues and friends here today i hope i can convey a pit of my feelings and my talk as well. We ought a very special relationship with this great man. See a lot of friends from his early political days. Those that saw his potential those that urge him to run for congress. But i see friends who served him during this journey. And truly grateful for this opportunity to speak. Anyway said he was an ordinary man doing an extraordinary job. However, he was not an ordinary man. He was a brilliant man. He was born to lead. And he served for all of the right reasons. [applause] he was a gifted man. It could make audiences shout with enthusiasm and cry at the same time. It was a voice of moral leadership. In a wonderful sense of humor. An infectious laugh. You couldnt help but to laugh with him once he started laughing. He was a humble man. He never professed to know it all. He was always morning. Always studying. Always asking questions. He genuinely cared about people and staff. About 20 years ago i was unhappy in a job almost between jobs in occult cummings and i wanted some advice im stuck in a job and ill never forget the words he said to me that day. I wont let you fall. I will let you fall [applause] he spoke and met people during parties and gatherings it would hang out in the kitchen and complain. He was in a kitchen cart guy. He was genuinely not concerned or motivated about running her titles. He was a man straddled two worlds. In her levels, may be on me in the beginning, but he helped me to. He help me understand the world through the eyes of the africanamerican man. He taught me lifelong lessons on compassion. And humility and love and family and god. I will miss his fatherly advice and i will miss his brotherly love and i will miss his wisdom and compassion. When my father died he had he was attended the funeral plate to the time, mother. And when i was struggling with the death of my father, he spoke to me about a musical he loved. One of which i thought and the first time. Nineteen. Remember these words. He lives in you he lives in me and he watches over everything we see into the water into the truth in your reflection, he lives in you. And i have a message to everyone today we do leave this beautiful church, when we face the challenges and temptations of everyday live, and see do i want to be part of the kitchen crowd. What would congressman cummings do in the situation. So please honor the memory of this a good man open the door for someone. Carry someones groceries. Shovel your neighbors walk. [applause] maybe stop and change somebodys tire. Thank you. [applause] [background sounds] good morning. The first time i met congressman cummings, we stood together far from here, to call attention to the 20 year difference in live expectancies across her cities. He called us to do the work that is so much bigger than us. Thats our children and the generations yet unborn we finished iraq dennis number and he leaned close and said calmly. I will help you with whatever you need to help our city. And he did. Whenever we need it funding for Mental Health or whatever, any programs to help our residents, congressman cummings fought for us and he got us resources. [applause] he told everyone how in baltimore, are efficient. And effective. [applause] what we do is about saving lives. He came to countless events to speak on the Opioid Epidemic because we need it his moral authority to overcome stigma and treat addiction is the disease that that it is. Its [applause] and every time, he was speak to every member of my team to see thank you. He was a thank you returning your pain into your passion and that is your purpose and he told them is i have heard him tell his staff whom he loved so much in the old people that he mentored, he was a i want you to replace me seven day. And he would right at each person and in his presence, we know that we are seeing. We are heard. And we matter. Cut back when i suffered a personal tragedy, a miscarriage, he wrote to me to see that he and maya were there for me. I went through other challenging times, it reminded me that for every season, theres a reason. [applause] we may not know that reason. And theres a lot that we cannot control. So what is in our control is how we choose to live the live that we have. And how we must always letter conscious guide our conduct. [applause] when i eventually had my baby, he courted the poet, carls denver, and babies cause opinion that live should go on. I think me for helping god to deliver this powerful message when i told conklin this coming cummings that my husband and i decided name that baby, our son, after him. [applause] when i told him, he cried. Little eli sow two. And were expecting his baby sister in a few months. [applause] there have been a few months in his live when i havent gotten got some message or call asking about him. Hows the baby he saved. How is little eli doing. And what would be my last conversation with him, i told him how blessed i have been to have his mentorship and he said, im the one who is blessed. You know part of my destiny, is i am a part of pictures. In all of us here, are forever part of congressman his destiny. He is the part of ours. All of us are able to call him her friend and colleague and mentor. All of us who are fortunate to live him and be loved by him. He challenged us to be better and we are all better for knowing him. [applause] now today, we feel the deep pain over his loss. We feel a deep pain for his one and only 11 maya did for his daughters anyways called the gift that keeps on giving. For his entire family whom he loved so deeply. We feel the pain for the loss this great man who was touched every part of our city and everyone in our city. [applause] i believe the congressman would ask us to turn that pain into our passion and that is our purpose. I believe he would ask us to honor his legacy by carrying on his live work and making it our own. I believe he would ask us to call upon our better angels and think about that is bigger than us so much bigger than us is about our children in the generations and our unborn and fulfilling our shared destiny to fight for the world is it should be. The congressman Elijah Eugene cummings, we love you. We thank you. May we be worthy of you. And may you rest in peace. [applause] [background sounds] sooner. Friends, i sincerely appreciate the honor and privilege to express my deep appreciation for my friend congressman Elijah Cummings. The remarks that i will give on today are entitled, the final lesson. When i think of the congressman, i am reminded of a quote from bruce lee. Pressley once said, the key to immortality is leaving a live worth remembering. Congressman asked me one day, in dc, for meetings, at first, this would be i thought it was a very assignment. It would last few days. Little did i know that this will turn into two half years of working with an angel. [applause] my live transformed from a director to a bodyguard to a mechanic advisor, driver, chef, they would ask me what would the privilege. Most importantly, friend. I worked with him for 15 years always took the time to teach me and the staff valuable live lessons. However, the last two and half years were different. He once told me, if you give me five minutes, i can teach me i can teach you something that to be 20 years to learn. Most of the lessons you may think were verbal, but i learned more from watching him that i did in conversation. Lesson number one. Compassion and kindness congressman believed that if with the resided in all of us. He thought that compassion and kindness brought us closer to god he believed that those were the keys to uniting the human spirit. Lesson number two. He believed in bridges, and a than an opportunity no matter how big, or small, made the difference between live or death on a percentage regulation in the world. Is we travel together, grateful that the congressman took interest in their live. And he not, it would not have had the blessings and opportunities they had today. [applause] lesson number three. Value to friendships. He said he would always be obedient to god because he knew the god work through us in a spiritual capacity. What is this mean. I enjoyed talking about, carpentry. It is through these conversations i learned an important lesson. Always check on your friends. Be the foundation for your friends. When the house collapses. The rough for your friends when rain comes. [applause] lesson number four. Best of all. He once told me that a true leader, to get the ball down the court, to win. Share the ball. Give others the opportunity to lead. [applause] emphasizes lesson by looking to the youth for answers and choosing people that saw him on his mission to help all america. We saw this in his committee assignments. Lesson number five. This is hard for me. Work for your pain worked for your pain. The congressman, was one of the hardest workers i ever knew. When we travel to the country, his mission to fight for the soul of the democracy. When default spoken housework, or travel to a Community Center to talk to children, he was always in pain. However, when it was time to address his audience, congressman transformed into a spiritual warrior. It was if he has saved the cure to this pain. In armor four, no field, but god his weapon of unconditional love for people. [applause] however, when he was offstage, is cure, was that he knew he would be truly speaking to a generation he would never see. For days ive been trying to figure out the first and fifth lesson but i finally got it. If you know here, congressman would tell me harry, remember to be greater than your pain. Transcend office to beat, the live to lead the better days. Fight when all hope is lost. And if one leg doesnt work, use a walker and at least you will be standing. [applause] in my spirit the congressman must be to see one last thing. [laughter] to the staff. Thank you for everything you gave me. I could not have been the leader that went out you. To vernon, thank you for being the general of my army. [applause] [background sounds] to family, thank you for letting me be bobby. To my wife, thank you for your love and support. To my children, we do get lonely, and you need me there, watch the lion king. And remember my favorite part when they see, he lives in you. I will always live in you. [applause] to all in attendance, remember the spinal lesson, like may change, you may change. Our choices tough choices will come. But the congressman proved to us all, that courage and will are timeless. Thank you. [applause] [background sounds] [applause] this man lived from god. And now is with god. Ive come here today to see to simple words. Thank you. Thanks to everyone. The seventh congressional district, he loved Baltimore City. Baltimore thank you for everything that you did. To make him who he was. To allow him to be in the rise to greatness. Our county, once and i said whenever i asked what do you, it is my honor and privilege to surf you and he meant every word of it. So baltimore county, he enjoyed surfing you as well so thank you so much for supporting and working with him. To all of his congressional colleagues, it was a distinct honor and privilege, and to walk beside you and to fight the good fight. The congressional black caucus, he was a proud member of and once led. In all of the leadership of the senate and certainly the house, nancy pelosi, thank you. He considers you his mentor. [applause] president obama, he was so proud. [applause] he was so proud. [applause] to stand with you and for you early. To be a cochair in the state of maryland, to surf is your chief defense attorney on the House Oversight committee. Mac [laughter] and make sure the new Year Administration was all right. You didnt have any challenges but weve got going on now. [laughter] seven god became harder over time. Deming said, president clinton, he was absolutely honored to be your friend and he counted you amongst his friends. [applause] when he invited you, you shared up. One of the proudest moments of his live, and you came right here at this baptist church, and worshiped with us. Thank you so much. Secretary clinton, oh my goodness, you spent monday an hour defending you. Against serious flames. I now had to go on to actually work to fight for the soul of our democracy. Yes very real corruptions. [applause] i want you all to know that it was not easy the congressman chairman, cummings, but what he did was not easy. He got infinitely more difficult in the last month of his live. When he sustained personal attacks on attacks on his beloved city. While they carried himself with grace and dignity and all public forums, it hurt him. Is one thing you do not know about congressman cummings, he was a man of soul and spirit, he felt very deeply. Is very apathetic. Was one of his greatest gifts. And was one of the forces of his ability to be a Public Servant and a man of the people. And so we sat to have the weeks activities, basically be laid out in such a glorious way to be attribute to the great man that he was, and to the great legacy that he left, to be the first africanamerican to ever congressman to ever live in the u. S. Capital. [applause] now it is true that he dictated every aspect of his service today. And he wouldve told me, maya i dont want to service with the u. S. Capital. But i felt like very strongly that they were trying to pare him down and we need it to make sure that he went out with respect and dignity that he deserved. [applause] this was a man of the utmost integrity. You hear me. He had integrity. And he cared about our democracy. He cared about our planet. He cared about our community. He wanted to make sure we in a society worthy of our children. I just want to tell you that also wasnt easy in the last months of his live because he absolutely was in pain. I get this, he was a walking miracle. Do you know that he was diagnosed with a lifethreatening illness more than 25 years ago. He was given six months to live more than 25 years ago. And he kept going. He kept fighting. He kept standing. He kept working. And it was my distinct honor and privilege to be his spouse. [applause] so today before he died, he was in a lot of pain. He could no longer walk. But he kept staying, im tired. Im ready to go. And so, the Wonderful World class act at the John Hopkins University hospital. Their worldclass staff, they came out and they said they wanted to give him sunshine therapy. So they rolled his entire medical bed out of the room and into the 14th floor, the rooftop of john hopkins hospital, where they lend the helicopter for lifethreatening situations, and we rolled out and it was a glorious and Beautiful Day with live everywhere and the sun was shining and it was absolutely glorious. And he said, boy have i come along way. [applause] and he absolutely came a long way. And so with that i just want to say thank you for pouring into him. Thank you for supporting him. Thank you for allowing him to serve you because it was his greatest an honor and privilege to work on behalf of all of you. The family, the pain has been lesson from all the love we have received from the city, state, region in the world. I just want to say thank you. God is good. Take care. [applause]
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