Christopher Alan Naylor

“If Even a Sparrow Falls God Notices…”

Christopher Alan Naylor 28-01-1966 – 29-11-2003

I guess I see Chris as something of a sparrow, he was always hanging around looking to help you clean up leftovers after a party, or help you eat the contents of your fridge. Just to help you out mind.

And the noise, just like a sparrow when it really gets into a flap, landing on the ground beating its wings up and down, creating a right old hull-a-balloo. It dances around giving everybody and everything nearby a real ticking-off. There was always lots of noise around Chris, lots of flapping about and dancing all at the top of his voice.

And like a sparrow, Chris had his share of hard times. As a kid he contracted Alopecia. None of us understood why this happened, and I think this advent probably more than any other set a pattern for his growing years. Chris’s self image and self esteem were severely dented. He started wagging school, drinking, smoking and driving fast cars. Chris had a lot off mechanical prowess. However he never seemed to be able to keep a car on the road for long… Maybe he wasn’t a good a driver as he thought he was. Chris grew up a practical joker and loved playing tricks on people he was always amused, when his carefully selected victims fell prey to his antics.

Chris at nineteen got into drugs, married to young, had a daughter (Jade) it lasted all of twelve months. A few years later Carolyn had come into his life, and he never had a better chance to change, and he knew it. Then again when his beautiful daughter Skye was born he was over the moon and ready for all the little challengers that lay ahead. As his family increased with the birth of his son Aaron, then Jarrod and finally Kirsty, we saw a new more mature Chris a father who loved his children dearly.

Things of course were still difficult, though to be fair, he once told me that he never really expected things to be easy anyway. Though still prone to being upset by something he saw as unjust or not right Chris was taking responsibility for the pattern of his life and that of his family.

Through the Eyes of a Mother…

As Chris’s mum I can only guess Chris’s self image and self esteem problems stemmed from a feeling of rejection. The free spirited, mischievous little boy, deep down was sensitive, and subject to feelings of immense pain due to harsh words and unnecessary criticism, mainly within the family circle. The ones he most admired were the very ones who put him down and made him feel unimportant and unworthy. I feel Chris’s poor choices in life consequently took him down the path of self destruction, eventually bringing him to a point of frustration and despair becoming the norm.

Seeing no way out of his dilemma, sadly Chris ended his life. Something I believe my son would not have considered, if only he could have seen a glimmer of hope. I truly feel he acted on impulse, and did not stop to consider the consequences of his actions.

Chris was Thirty seven years young. Sadly it was on his oldest brother Shane’s birthday he passed away.

If any sparrow were to fall God is there to gather all…

Sadly missed.