Craig Morgan reflects on son's tragic death: 'Emotionally, he's with us'
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Craig Morgan and his family were in the middle of putting together a reality show about their lives when their 19-year-old son Jerry died in a tragic boating accident in the summer of 2016.
Their lives quickly came to a halt. But the Morgans soon decided to honor Jerry's memory by opening a family-run store.
"We had someone approach us a while back about starting a show about our family because evidently, we're different," Craig's daughter Aly Morgan Beaird told Fox News. "A lot of things happened [and] it didn't fall into place, and then we lost my brother Jerry and the whole family took some time off."
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Morgan added,"Right before Jerry passed away a production company approached us...and we started filming and then...after a year or so... against the will of some of the family we voted and we decided to do it."
"Morgan Family Strong," which airs on UP TV, follows the Morgan family as they begin their new business, called The Gallery at Morgan Farms. Everything in the store is made by a member of the family including wooden spoons and bowls that the country singer whittled by hand.
"We actually do make everything in the store," Beaird said. "I don't think people expect that."
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Morgan said, "From start to finish; I make these spoons these bowls these centerpieces and everything. Even the lip balm we made as a family... and it's out of our honey and our wax from our beehives."
The father and daughter said they hope through their store and new reality show, they will be able to carry on Jerry's memory.
"I think we, in regards to him being with us, we want to take the impact that he made... and we want to incorporate into how we impact [the world], whether it's with the store or the show," 29-year-old Aly explained.
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"Not to sound super weird or anything, he's not physically with us but spiritually, emotionally he's with us," Morgan said. "He will never not be a part of our lives. Until the day I join him in heaven, he will be a part of my life."
The family's faith plays not only a role in the show but also in their lives every day.
"We are believers beyond anything," the "International Harvester" singer explained.
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Morgan said he is reminded of the story of the binding of Isaac in the Bible. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son for Him.
"[God] wanted [Abraham] to take his son and put him on a rock and God had told him to kill his son and offer him as a sacrifice and he was doing it. He was willing to do that. Now that's powerful faith."
Morgan said while he doesn't think he could follow in Abraham's footsteps but said "my son has been a sacrifice.
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"I don't know what that sacrifice was," he said. I know that it's a sacrifice for our family in our loss we miss him but my son was a sacrifice for something. God knew that it was important that Jerry not be here right now and we live with that but we also live with the fact that we know God is real.
"And we believe that and there are people that would say that sounds crazy but until you experience God if you don't know God, it probably is crazy. But when you get to know Him you can understand that and know that it's real."
"Morgan Family Strong" premieres March 1 on UP TV.
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Faith & Fame is a regular column exploring how a strong belief system helps some performers navigate the pitfalls of the entertainment industry.