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If somebody comes when you are drowning in a river, and saves your life, now immediately there is a relationship that is formed. And that relationship is not of a brother, is not of a husband, is not of a sister, not of a wife. But it is a relationship, nevertheless, and it stays with you, more than just a memory.

For many, across the entire world, that is what Reagan is, was, and will continue to be, for them. For many of us, it was like he saved us from drowning.

This kind of relationship, is virtually unbreakable.

A lot of people put wrong effort in wrong places. Ronald Reagan, part of his magic and sincerity, was to try and make sure that our effort was put in the right place. That, this is what we were trying to pursue in terms of community, service and mind-set. The only reasons tens of millions of souls are here today doing that very thing, or even alive, is because of Mr. Reagan’s efforts in this regard.

Millions of lives were saved, and freed, because of him.

Reagan had an experience with freedom, and he wanted you, and I, and the world to have the same experience.

President Reagan does not want us to grieve. There is no reason to grieve. Ronald Reagan was a complete success. We rejoice in his success, and what he has given the world.

I remember a Polish teenager once said, “What should I give to American Reagan for doing all for me? What can I give to him?”

Well, she can’t. We can say thank you.

I was a member of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Task Force. I still hold my membership with pride. I have a medallion of this organization, with his name on it. I keep it in it’s original blue box. I keep it in a very special drawer in a very beautiful wood desk.

In one way, it’s sort of like a medal. I don’t throw medals over a fence, not medals that are moment in time, and mean something.

Ronald Reagan never shut his door on anybody. He didn’t have to speak French to speak all the languages of the world. He did. But some people shut their door on Ronald Reagan. Just think, what they missed. What fools.

What Ronald Reagan gave the conservatives, the Americans who care to conserve what is best and to grow America – he gave them all One Foundation.

Today, if we are conservatives, for us, Ronald Reagan was a father.

What Reagan gave us, it is not a conversation, it is not a lecture.

It isn’t even a philosophy really.

He gave us an experience.

It was real time.

That is why we are giving our condolences today, why we are all here doing that. Because it is more than condolences. That love that we share in his regard, is not materialistic love.

There is one thing, I am really going to miss about President Reagan.

And it is this.

You know, you can’t really go up to somebody and say, “Listen kid, Ronald Reagan, experience what he is saying, listen, take part, you will find some good things, it’s really something, if you get it, you will really benefit yourself and others.”

Because, Ronald Reagan won’t be with us. Or with that kid. So, we can play reruns.

But life is real time.

That is what I am going to miss.

I hope another Ronald Reagan comes along soon.

When you make a ring, and coat it in gold, and silver, it ‘s nice. But when you put a diamond on it, it makes it sort of worthwhile.

Where is our diamond, now? A man goes to the moon, but did he really find it? Those days, it was really interesting in that, we didn’t find Ronald Reagan, he somehow found us.

All across America, and in many places of the world, there are wayward “shires” to Ronald Reagan. From a simple website, or a photo in a beautiful frame, to libraries and memorials. But there is something I am going to miss. There was a day, when a crowd of people would come, and we would see Ronald Reagan. “I am going to go SEE Ronald Reagan,” we could say.

Thank you Mr. President.