My father was a very complex person. He was the smartest, funniest and silliest person I knew.

He also held himself and others to such a high level of precision that the first thing I did when I arrived for the wake last night was check that his name was spelled correctly. I cannot tell you how many times I heard him say, "That¹s Rodgers with a D," only to find the package, bill or other item arrived with the wrong spelling anyway.

We had many ups and downs. However, we were always quite close and knew each other in ways that no one else could know either of us. While I try to make sense of the difficult times we had, I am thankful for the many happy memories we shared ­ the concerts we went to, "going back home" as he called it when we visited our friends and family here in Indianapolis, and the birth of my brother in 1990. Most of all, I remember just sitting around talking about music, arguing politics or laughing until we both started coughing, which of course only made us laugh harder. If I could make him laugh, everything was OK.

I am also thankful and feel blessed to see here today the many people who loved my father: Rodgers, Townsends, Harwells, McCombs, Jacksons and McCallisters and others among our family, as well as his many friends. I know that my father would be very happy to see us all here together. He always said that those hurtful events were long in the past and we must all move on. I am only sorry it took his death to make his wish finally come true.

If I have learned anything this week, it is the true meaning of something I have heard countless times. Life is short. We must make the most of Today because Tomorrow is not a promise, but, rather, something we can only hope for.

I knew my father was very sick for many years and have tried to make the most of the past decade with him. I have tried to learn and understand as much as I could about him and also to let go and argue less. We weren't always successful, but I know we both tried.

My only regret is that I did not know him better. My father remains a mystery to me in many ways. He was often angry and distant for reasons I could only guess. He was from the old school and could not talk much about his feelings. My greatest hope is that he has finally found the peace he needed.